A major accident was narrowly averted on the afternoon of that day in Delhi’s Model Town when a dilapidated wall suddenly collapsed, burying some parked vehicles under a heap of debris. There were no injuries, and nobody was hurt, but property was heavily damaged.
In fact, as soon as a wall collapsed, it crashed onto the cars parked alongside it, initial reports said. At least eight two-wheelers and one car were buried under the rubble, and residents and passersby were shocked by the sudden collapse.
Delhi: Dilapidated wall collapses in Model Town, 8 two-wheelers and car buried; no casualties. pic.twitter.com/7u8YP6X4jz
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The collapse happened in Model Town’s residential area, where the ageing wall was believed to have been weakened for some time. Residents ran to the site immediately after hearing the loud crash and notified authorities. Emergency response teams arrived at the site soon after the collapse (see map of collapse) and found a damaged wall but no injuries.
Rescue workers and civic officials started clearing the debris using heavy equipment and manual work to recover the damaged vehicles. No one was near the wall at the time it collapsed, so none of the people suffered any life-threatening injuries, which many residents said was very lucky.
Images from the scene showed motorcycles completely buried under bricks and concrete, and dust, and a parked car was also partially crushed under the fallen structure. The extent of the damage to the vehicles is yet to be officially assessed.
The wall was old and structurally weak at first sight, but officials will have to conduct a detailed inspection to know why the wall fell down. Weather conditions, moisture seepage, or lack of maintenance could also be factors experts would look into.
Residents have expressed their concerns about the aging structures in the area, and municipalities should perform safety inspections of old walls and buildings now so that similar incidents don’t happen again. The deteriorating buildings in residential neighbourhoods could be a threat to public safety that needs to be fixed right away, they said.
The incident has once again emphasized the need for structural audits in the city to keep aging infrastructure safe. Older boundary walls and buildings can be dangerous in the monsoon season when long-term rainfall can weaken foundations and masonry, experts say.
The authorities will have to write a report on the incident, and whether negligence or failure to maintain the structure caused the collapse will be assessed.
Although the collapse caused huge losses and disrupted the area for a short while, the residents were relieved that nobody had been injured. All debris will be removed from the area and the affected area monitored to prevent anything from happening to the rest of the population again, the civic authorities assured.
