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New Delhi. A five-storey building being used as a students' 'PG' collapsed in the Satya Niketan area of ​​the national capital Delhi on Sunday afternoon, killing one person while several people are still trapped under the debris. The officers provided this information. This area is located near the main part of 'South Campus' of Delhi University (DU) and has many hostels and eateries in its narrow and crowded streets. According to locals, the building was around 20 years old and at the time of the incident, around 1.30 pm, construction work was going on in the basement.

Sources at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) said that of the four injured brought to the hospital, the condition of two is still critical, while one was brought dead. A rescue worker was also brought to the hospital, who was released after treatment. A police official said local policemen, fire brigade, 'CAT' ambulance and other emergency services were present at the spot. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team has also reached the spot and rescue and relief operations are underway.

The building was known as 'Hostel Days'

Police said in a statement that at 1.34 pm, the Police Control Room (PCR) received information regarding the collapse of a building near Nanakpura Gurudwara at South Campus police station. “The exact number of people trapped or injured in the debris is not known at this time,” the statement said. So far some people have been pulled out from the debris. Further information will be shared upon confirmation.'' Police said they have identified the owner of the building and several teams have been formed to nab him. According to officials, the collapsed building was known as 'Hostel Days'.

Eyewitnesses at the scene estimated that more than 20 people may be trapped under the debris, although this number has not been officially confirmed. Meanwhile, a local resident said, “The hostel was always full.” Therefore, many people may still be trapped under the debris. “The streets are very narrow and congested, so it was difficult for rescue vehicles to reach the spot quickly.”

Local people and eyewitnesses said that they immediately started helping in the rescue work and removed the debris with their hands and available tools to search for people trapped under the debris. In this regard, an eyewitness said that if this incident had happened on a working day, the situation could have been more serious, because many nearby students had gone home. “There were very few people here,” he said.

Know what local resident Rajen Chhetri said

Rajen Chhetri, a local resident who works with Delhi Police, said that there were about 15 rooms in the building and two to three students lived in each room. Chhetri said, “Most of the students living here are from Kerala, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and mainly study in Motilal Nehru College, Atmaram Sanatan Dharma College and Sri Venkateswara College. They were paying around Rs 12,000 rent per bed.

“I have been living here for the last 20 years,” he said. Some construction work was going on in the basement, where water had started accumulating. The foundation was also very weak.'' He said that about 13 people have been rescued. It has been raining continuously in Delhi since Friday. Priyanka, who has been living in the area for the last 20-22 years, said, “Buildings here are being built up to five-six floors. Many houses have been converted into PGs (paying guests) for boys and the owners have moved elsewhere. They simply label the properties as PG, collect rent online and do not even come back to the area to see what the situation is.”

He said, “The building that collapsed is more than 20 years old and in all these years I have not seen any maintenance work being done here. The entire Satya Niketan is full of PGs. Hardly 30 percent of the homeowners live here.” Priyanka said, “Even the drains and sewers are open here. Many students were trapped inside the building. It was raining, so most of the students were in their rooms, while some students had gone home because of the weekend.

Appeal to remove crowd, deployment of ambulance for movement

Police are appealing to the local people and people present at the spot to stay away from the spot as the crowd is hampering the rescue operations. Police and paramilitary forces have been deployed to ensure smooth movement of ambulances. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Anil Sharma reached the spot and said that people were still trapped under the debris. He said, “We are also receiving calls from people trapped inside. The team is in constant touch with the people trapped inside.

Also read: Five-storey building collapsed near Satya Niketan, Delhi, many students feared buried under the debris, 4 have been rescued so far.