Delhi: Death toll in Rohini building collapse rises to three; rescue operation ends

The death toll in the building collapse in Delhi’s Rohini area rose to three on Thursday after rescuers pulled two more bodies from the debris during an overnight operation, officials said.

The rescue effort, launched on Wednesday evening after a four-storey building under construction collapsed in Sector 16 amid heavy rain, has now been completed. Five people were rescued in all, according to the Delhi Fire Service (DFS).

Fire personnel pulled three people out of the rubble, of whom two were declared dead while one sustained injuries and was admitted to hospital. Another person was rescued by local residents before emergency teams reached the site but was later declared dead at hospital. One more person was also rescued during the operation.

“The rescue operation has been completed. DFS crews are still at the site,” a fire official said on Thursday.

The building collapsed at around 4.20 pm on Wednesday at properties G-4/152 and G-4/153 near an MCD school in Rohini’s Sector 16, triggering a large-scale emergency response.

Teams from the Delhi Police, Delhi Fire Service, National Disaster Response Force, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Revenue Department and other agencies were pressed into the rescue operation, with heavy machinery deployed to clear the debris.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the MCD said the collapsed structures had sanctioned building plans under the SARAL scheme, which allows property owners to obtain automatic clearance and building permits on the basis of self-verified undertakings submitted through certified architects or engineers.

The civic body said its preliminary assessment indicated that plumbing work was underway inside the building at the time of the collapse. It added that drilling or cutting of structural members, including beams and columns, may have contributed to the incident.

However, the exact cause of the collapse will only be known after a detailed technical examination, the MCD said.

Police said a detailed investigation has been initiated to examine whether the construction adhered to sanctioned plans, the quality of the work carried out, any structural changes made to the building and the role of those associated with the project.

With PTI inputs