NEW DELHI: It started as a two-storey structure. Over the years, more floors were added. Residents said another two were built recently. On Wednesday afternoon, the building in New Seemapuri came crashing down, killing five people and injuring several others.The collapse on the busy market road near Idgah Machhli Mandi shattered families living inside and sent the densely populated neighbourhood into panic. Eight people injured in Wednesday’s collapse were rescued and shifted to Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital in Tahirpur for treatment.The death toll has risen to five after two bodies were recovered earlier in the day on Thursday.Among those trapped was 21-year-old Gulafsa, who was four months pregnant.Trapped under the debris, she called her father repeatedly from around 4pm, telling him she could not breathe and asking for water. Her last call came around 6.30pm. She was found dead around 9.30pm.Residents said the building had undergone several additions. “It was originally a two-storey structure. Around two years ago, the owner demolished the second floor to build two more. This year, two more floors were added,” said Saalam, 42, who lives next door.The building stood on a plot belonging to the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), measuring about 25 square yards.MCD officials said the structure was around 20-25 years old and described it as a ground-plus-three-storey building, while residents said it had five storeys.The first and second floors were occupied by the owners, their two married sons and their families, while the third floor was rented out. The ground floor housed the family’s scrap business, according to a relative.Several family members were away when the building collapsed.The building’s collapse also highlighted concerns about structures in the immediate vicinity. An adjoining three-storey building had tilted earlier, following which its owner informed police.An audit was conducted and authorities ordered its demolition. Work on bringing it down had started two-three days before Wednesday’s collapse.Residents also claimed the collapsed building had developed cracks after the earthquake reported in the area a day earlier and that the owner had subsequently been trying to vacate it. Police have not verified these claims.The building fell towards an adjoining idgah where children frequently play. Residents said the timing may have prevented a larger tragedy. The collapse also damaged two adjoining buildings, brought down portions of one of their walls and damaged the boundary wall of the idgah.The neighbourhood is largely home to garbage collectors, ragpickers and scrap dealers.As the structure came down, residents recalled hearing a thunderous sound followed by a cloud of dust covering the area. “I was sleeping when my house shook and a thundering sound woke me up. I ran, thinking it was an earthquake and the jhuggi was collapsing. The tremors were stronger than Tuesday’s actual quake,” said 60-year-old Sakina Jahan.Delhi Fire Service received the call around 3.30pm and rushed fire tenders and rescue teams to the site. Delhi Police, MCD and Delhi Disaster Management Authority teams joined the operation, while an NDRF team reached later. Four JCB machines, ambulances and sniffer dogs were deployed as rescuers searched the debris.Power supply was cut after the collapse damaged an electricity pole and snapped wires leading towards the nearby market. Generators were used to illuminate the site as the search continued.The chief minister’s office said rescue and relief operations were underway and directed agencies to coordinate closely and provide medical care and assistance to those affected.Officials said the exact cause of the collapse would be established after a detailed structural assessment.The five deaths have left families shattered, while the collapse has raised questions over how the structure grew over the years in one of Delhi’s most densely populated neighbourhoods.
