Delhi building collapse: Death toll rises to 3, another worker's body recovered

• Death toll in Old Delhi building collapse rises to three after another labourer's body is recovered.

• Five people rescued so far, including two injured workers who are stable.

• Police book building owners and contractors for culpable homicide; unauthorised construction had been flagged in June.

The death toll in the three-storey building collapse in Old Delhi's Hauz Qazi area rose to three on Saturday, 7 November after rescuers recovered the body of another worker from the debris, nearly 48 hours after the incident.

The deceased has been identified as Pankaj Sharma (40), a resident of Hanuman Nagar village in Bihar's Khagaria district, officials said.

Five people have so far been pulled out of the rubble — three dead and two injured. Both survivors have received medical treatment and are reported to be stable. Rescue operations and efforts to clear the debris were continuing at the site.

The under-construction building collapsed in Gali Sitara, near Chawri Bazar Metro station, around 9.45 am on Thursday, 5 November. Between 10 and 15 labourers were present at the construction site when the three-storey structure came crashing down, deputy commissioner of police (central) Rohit Rajbir Singh had said.

Earlier, two labourers identified as Kishori (40) and Sanjeet (45) were declared dead. Two others, Sahdev Chaudhary (25) and Firoz (37), were rescued with injuries. Local residents had also helped pull four people out of the debris.

Unauthorised construction under scanner

The building was allegedly being constructed without the requisite approvals on a plot measuring around 50 sq. m. An official of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) said no building plan had been sanctioned for the structure.

The civic body said construction had reached the third floor and the building collapsed while the roof slab was being laid. The material used was non-engineered and had not set properly, the official said.

The incident has also raised questions about the enforcement of building regulations, with records showing that the Delhi Police had flagged unauthorised construction at the property in June.

In a communication dated 15 June, the station house officer (SHO) of Hauz Qazi police station had alerted the MCD's City Sadar Paharganj Zone about the construction work. The communication identified the landowner and contractor as Furqan.

Police have registered an FIR under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, against the building owners and contractors. Efforts are under way to trace the builders.

With PTI inputs