A five-storey building collapsed near Saket Metro station in South Delhi on Saturday evening, triggering panic and a large-scale rescue operation. Residents reported hearing a loud sound resembling a 'generator blast' moments before the structure gave way.
Incident Details
According to police, the ground floor of the building housed a coaching institute, while construction work was underway on the upper floors. Officials suspect that students and other occupants may be among those trapped under the debris.
The incident occurred on Western Marg in Saidulajab, near Saket Metro station. The Delhi Fire Services received a call about the collapse at 7:44 pm and deployed seven fire tenders to the site.
Eyewitness Accounts
A local resident, who lives behind the building, said he initially thought the sound was an explosion. 'I live right behind the building, and suddenly there was a sound like a generator blast,' he recounted. He added that dust, mud, and rubble quickly filled the surroundings, prompting him to warn others not to step outside before learning about the collapse. He also said there were reports of people being trapped inside and that rescue teams were already at work.
Another local resident noted that the glass-fronted building made it difficult to determine how many people were inside at the time of the collapse. According to him, the premises usually saw heavy footfall of around 300 to 400 people during working hours, though fewer may have been present at the time of the incident. 'The building collapsed completely like a pack of cards,' he remarked. He further said a small adjoining structure that housed a mess was also affected, though people there were safely evacuated and no major injuries were reported from that spot.
One resident said, 'At around 6 pm, a building collapsed. The building housed offices. Since it was a weekend, most offices were closed, resulting in fewer people present than usual... The entire building collapsed, and the impact was felt by some of the smaller neighbouring buildings as well.'
Rescue Operations
Locals and neighbours rushed to the spot as emergency services launched search and rescue operations. Many people were seen using mobile phone torches to look through the debris. The narrow lane remained crowded as rescue teams continued operations, with ambulances stationed nearby.
Officials are yet to confirm the exact number of people trapped, while rescue operations continue. Further details are awaited.
