Bangla Press Desk: A six-storey building has collapsed in southwest Delhi’s Satya Niketan on Sunday afternoon, triggering a race against time to pull survivors from the rubble, NDTV reports.
Several people are feared trapped after the building, which served as paying guest accommodation, collapsed around 1:30pm on Sunday, officials said.
Six people had been rescued from the building, although police initially reported two rescued and declined to specify how many remained trapped.
NDTV said local police, the fire brigade, ambulance services and other emergency teams were dispatched to the site, with the Delhi Police confirming the response in a statement.
The Indian broadcaster quoted a witness as saying that at least 50 students were believed to have been inside at the time, though most were said to be at “home” given it was a Sunday.
A student at the scene told ANI news agency he could hear cries for help from beneath the rubble. Visuals showed large crowds at the site, with fire crews searching the debris as locals dug with their bare hands before rescuers arrived.
The neighbourhood, located near Delhi University’s South Campus, has a large student population, and several student organisations were reported to be at the scene assisting rescuers.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said rescue efforts were being carried out on a war footing.
“The adjacent building has been vacated as a precautionary measure. Every possible effort is being made to safely rescue those trapped and provide immediate assistance to the affected families,” she was quoted as saying.
