Chawri Bazaar building collapse: Toll rises to four as search continues

• A fourth body was recovered on Saturday from the collapsed building in Delhi’s Chawri Bazaar; rescue operations continue.

• Two people pulled out alive have received treatment and are stable, officials said.

• Police say the construction was illegal; MCD has suspended two engineers, and an FIR has been registered against the contractor.

The death toll in the Chawri Bazaar building collapse rose to four on Saturday after rescuers recovered another body from the debris, officials said. Search and rescue operations were continuing at the site.

The latest victim had not been identified. The body was taken by ambulance to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital for further procedures.

Earlier on Saturday, rescue teams recovered the body of Pankaj Sharma, 40, a resident of Hanuman Nagar in Bihar’s Khagaria district. Two other bodies had been retrieved on Thursday.

Two people have also been pulled out alive and treated for injuries. Both are stable, according to rescue officials.

The three-storey building, where construction was underway, collapsed on Thursday morning in a narrow lane near Chawri Bazaar Metro Station in the Ajmeri Gate area. Authorities received the alert at 9.50 am.

Delhi Police, the National Disaster Response Force, Delhi Fire Services and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi have been involved in the operation to search the rubble and reach anyone still trapped.

Police said the construction work was illegal and the building was unsafe. An FIR has been registered against the contractor as investigators examine responsibility for the collapse.

The municipal corporation has suspended a junior engineer and an assistant engineer following the tragedy.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said all possible efforts would be made to extricate those trapped beneath the debris. She also promised strict action against those found responsible, saying an investigation was underway.

With IANS inputs