A building collapse in Delhi’s New Seemapuri area has killed at least four people and injured several others, and rescue teams continue to search for others. Wednesday afternoon, a residential building in the city’s very densely populated Seemapuri area collapsed, trapping residents and others under a huge amount of debris.
Among those killed was Gulafsa, who was also about four months pregnant. Her family said she was able to contact them when she was trapped in the rubble and pleaded for water, saying she found it hard to breathe. Her calls continued for several hours before rescuers found her body.
At 3.30pm the building collapsed in the narrow lanes of New Seemapuri which is in the Shahdara region of northeast Delhi. The incident triggered a rescue operation by the Delhi Fire Service, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Police and other emergency personnel.
Pregnant Woman’s Desperate Calls From Under Debris
Gulafsa’s final hours emerged from the family’s emotional conversations in the final hours of her life with relatives near the site and hospitals looking for information about missing family members. According to her family, the young woman called her family from beneath the debris and said she could not breathe and needed water.
Gulafsa continued to communicate with her family after the collapse, said reports. Her last call was made around 6.30pm; rescue workers found her body later that night.
Gulafsa was crossing the road to meet family members who lived nearby when the building collapsed. Her relatives said she was four months pregnant. The situation added to the distress among residents as rescue workers combed through the rubble for those still trapped.
Four Dead As Rescue Operation Continues
The death toll was initially reported as three, including Gulafsa and two children. The Indian Express reported later that four confirmed deaths had taken place as rescue operations continued. But authorities also worried that more people could be buried under the rubble.
Several people were rescued and taken to hospital for treatment. At least eight survivors were found and taken to hospitals, including a three-year-old child. Emergency teams worked with local residents to remove debris and search inside the collapsed building and locate those who had been trapped in the collapsed structure, as well, and also helped local residents, officials said.
The narrow lanes around the building made rescue teams difficult. The operation was carried out from the side of an adjoining Eidgah, one of the available access points to the collapse site. Local residents rushed to help even before emergency teams could fully establish the rescue operation.
Building’s Structural History Under Scrutiny
The collapse has also raised questions about the building’s condition and construction history. Local residents told reporters that the structure had undergone several additions over the years.
The Times of India reported that residents said the building was originally a two-storey structure and had been expanded with the addition of floors over time. An adjoining building had also reportedly developed problems and was undergoing demolition work before the collapse.
The municipal corporation of Delhi said the collapsed building was at least 20 to 25 years old and was in a densely populated settlement under the jurisdiction of Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board, according to Hindustan Times.
Residents also voiced concern about cracks that they said developed after an earthquake or tremors were felt in the area. But authorities did not yet have the specific cause of the collapse, and an investigation is to be conducted into the building’s structural and construction history.
Rescue teams Search Through Rubble
Rescue efforts continued as emergency workers searched for survivors and more victims among the debris. Heavy machinery, ambulances and specialist rescue teams were all deployed on the site.
The collapse also indirectly impacted neighbouring structures and complicated the rescue operation. But those who had to make the choice between getting rid of debris quickly and the stability of neighboring buildings had to do so.
The incident comes at a time when building safety in Delhi has been in the headlines for the past few months after another fatal building collapse in Satya Niketan killed seven people in May. But this latest tragedy has reignited questions of structural safety, unauthorised construction and the enforcement of building regulations in densely populated parts of the capital.
For families gathered near the site and in hospitals, the rescue operation became a desperate search for missing relatives. Residents described chaotic scenes as people waited for updates and tried to locate those who had been rescued or recovered from the rubble.
As local authorities continue to investigate the Seemapuri collapse, the focus remains on recovering any people who may still be trapped, treating the injured and determining what caused the building to give way.
The deaths of the pregnant woman who had been trapped under the debris, and the desperate cries for water coming from a pregnant woman who had been trapped under the rubble that she said was in desperate need of water were among the ones that came to mind as others were reported to have been made public.
