2 dead, 6 trapped after 3-storey building collapses in Old Delhi's Chawri Bazaar

Two people died and six others were feared trapped after a three-storey under-construction building collapsed in Delhi's Chandni Chowk on Thursday. Six fire department units were deployed for rescue operations.

In Short

• Six fire units deployed for rescue near Chawri Bazaar Metro
• AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj criticised Delhi govt for poor safety audits
• Accusations of corruption in civic bodies linked to selective enforcement

Two people died after a portion of a three-storey under-construction building collapsed in Delhi's Chandni Chowk area on Thursday morning. The incident took place near Chawri Bazaar Metro Station, following which six fire department units were rushed to the spot.

According to the Delhi Fire Services, a call regarding the building collapse was received at around 9:50 am from the Paiwalan area. Two water tenders, one water bowser, one Quick Response Vehicle (QRV) and one Incident Response Team (IRT) were initially dispatched to the location.

At around 10:15 am, Station Officer DK Rai informed the department that a three-storey building under construction had collapsed and that several people might be trapped under the debris. He also sought additional manpower and the presence of a senior officer at the site.

Following the request, the fire department deployed one additional water tender and sent Assistant Divisional Officer (ADO) Rajesh Shukla to assist with the rescue operation, taking the total number of deployed units to six.

The operation is being supervised by ADO Rajesh Shukla, Station Officer (STO) Bhupender Sharma and Station Officer DK Rai. Rescue efforts are underway to locate and reach those who may still be trapped beneath the rubble.

An eyewitness, Mohd Nayeem, said the collapse occurred around 9 am or 9:30 am when residents were asleep.

"We heard a loud crashing sound and rushed outside, initially fearing that our own house was collapsing. We then realised that the neighbouring building, which was under construction, had caved in. Three or four lintels had already been cast, and they collapsed together. An injured labourer told us that around three or four workers were present at the site. We also saw a body being pulled out of the debris. The building had been under construction for the past three to four months," he said.

SAURABH BHARADWAJ TARGETS REKHA GUPTA GOVERNMENT

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj criticised the Rekha Gupta-led Delhi government following the incident and questioned the effectiveness of building safety audits conducted by the authorities.

In a post on X, Bharadwaj said another three-storey building had collapsed in the Chawri Bazaar-Chandni Chowk area, with several people feared trapped under the debris.

He questioned why building collapses continued despite repeated safety audits by the Delhi government and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

"Another 3-storey building collapses at Chawri Bazaar/Chandni Chowk. Many feared trapped under debris. Rekha Gupta’s government and MCD conducted multiple safety audits of all buildings in Delhi, yet buildings keep collapsing. Why?" he wrote.

Bharadwaj also accused various civic and government departments of corruption, claiming that enforcement action against buildings was selective and influenced by bribery.

He claimed that several departments, including the Delhi Police, MCD, Fire Department and the Revenue Department, were involved in collecting bribes from building owners. He further claimed that buildings whose owners refused to pay bribes were sealed by the MCD.

The AAP leader also questioned the selective sealing of commercial establishments, citing the closure of two gyms in Greater Kailash 2 while other gyms and commercial buildings in the same South Delhi zone continued to operate.

- Ends