Delhi: One person died and two others were injured after a two-storey banquet hall collapsed in northwest Delhi’s Model Town area after heavy rain on Saturday afternoon. The police are trying to find out who owned the property.
The incident took place in Mahendru Enclave where a dilapidated house, which was being repaired, collapsed around 2.45 pm, officials told news agency PTI. The police officials said that the building collapsed while the labourers were having ther lunch.
The Delhi Fire Service managed to rescue three people with the help of the local police, National Disaster Response Force, and other rescue team members in a joint rescue operation that went on for over four hours.
The CCTV footage of the building collapse has also surfaced.
The rescued people were sent to a nearby hospitals. While one injured was sent to ESI hospital in Basai Darapur, the other two were undergoing treatment at Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital in Ashok Vihar.
Earlier it was also said that that two of them are in critical condition. However, as per the latest update, they have sustained minor injuries.
A team of the National Disaster Response Force also arrived at the spot to assist the DFS in the rescue operation.
Delhi Fire Services officer CL Meena said that a call was received at 3 pm following which three vehicles were dispatched at 3.01 pm for Mahendru Enclave. "Before our vehicles reached the spot, three people were rescued from under the building and they were shifted to hospital. This is an old banquet hall which was not in use for the last 5-7 years," he said.
Earlier in the day, officials stated that the building was an abandoned house but later it was clarified that it was being used as a banquet hall.
In another incident, a two-storey house collapsed in northwest Delhi's Jahangirpuri, claiming the lives of three people. Four people trapped under the rubble were rescued and taken to Babu Jagjivan Hospital for treatment.
The incident took place on August 2, when the old building housing a garment factory, collapsed in SMA Cooperative Estate on GT Karnal Road.
The building, according to the police, collapsed while the repair work was underway.
As the Delhi Fire Services received call about the incident, five fire tenders rushed to the spot. The Delhi Police and National Disaster Response Force also assisted the DFS in the rescue operation.
MCD spokesperson stated that the industrial estate was developed by the Delhi Development Authority and was not handed over to the civic body for further repairs of roads and drains, The Indian Express reported.