Six Killed in Delhi Building Collapse as Rescuers Search Through Rubble
At least six people have died after a five-storey building used as student accommodation collapsed in Delhi’s Satya Niketan area, near Delhi University’s South Campus. Rescue teams continued searching the debris on Monday, a day after the building came down.
The building reportedly had a basement and five upper floors and was being used as a paying guest accommodation for students. It collapsed at around 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, trapping occupants and workers beneath concrete slabs, bricks and other debris.
The National Disaster Response Force, Delhi Fire Service, Delhi Police and other emergency teams have been working through the wreckage. Rescuers are using cutting and lifting equipment, hydraulic systems, shoring equipment, sniffer dogs and life-detection devices to locate people who may still be trapped.
NDRF officials said 11 people had been rescued from the debris, six of whom were later declared dead. At least one more person was detected beneath the rubble, prompting rescuers to continue the operation despite the difficult conditions at the congested site.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said preliminary information pointed to water accumulation in the basement combined with ongoing repair work in the old building. Authorities have not yet established a final cause, and a detailed investigation is expected to determine whether structural weaknesses, construction activity or safety violations contributed to the collapse.
The disaster has also raised fresh concerns over the safety of private hostels and PG accommodations in densely populated parts of Delhi. Such buildings often house large numbers of students in older structures, making enforcement of structural, construction and fire-safety requirements a critical issue.
Authorities have ordered an inquiry and registered a case against the building owner. Police were also searching for the owner as rescue operations continued, while officials began examining whether construction or renovation work had been carried out in violation of safety requirements.
The collapse has renewed wider concerns about building safety in India’s major cities, where ageing structures, unauthorised construction and inadequate enforcement can combine to create serious risks. Rescue operations at Satya Niketan remained the immediate priority as teams continued clearing the rubble in the hope of finding additional survivors.
