11 dead, including 4 children in building collapse in Delhi

KATHMANDU: At least 11 people, including four children, lost their lives after a four-storey residential building collapsed in Delhi’s Mustafabad area early Saturday morning.

Eleven others sustained injuries, with five currently undergoing treatment in hospital.

The building, located in Shakti Vihar, northeast Delhi, came crashing down around 2:39 AM while the residents were asleep.

According to officials, 22 people were inside at the time of the collapse.

Rescue teams worked tirelessly for nearly 12 hours to pull survivors and bodies from the debris.

Among the deceased were seven members of a single family — including 60-year-old building owner Tehsin, his son, daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren.

Delhi Fire Services, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and local police jointly carried out the rescue efforts using cranes, excavators, and thermal cameras.

Preliminary investigations suggest that recent heavy rains, combined with illegal structural alterations — including the removal of a load-bearing wall — may have caused the building to weaken and collapse.

The building was approximately 20 years old and located in an unauthorized residential colony.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has ordered a high-level probe into the incident and assured strict action against those found responsible. “This is a heartbreaking tragedy. We must ensure that no such incidents happen in the future due to negligence or illegal construction,” she said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep sorrow over the incident and announced ex-gratia compensation of ₹2 lakh for the families of each deceased and ₹50,000 for those injured.