A labourer was killed, three others were rescued and several more were feared trapped after an under-construction building collapsed in Rohini’s Sector 16 here on Wednesday evening.
The incident took place at Property No. G-4/152-153 in G Block, Sector 16, Rohini. According to the police, a PCR call reporting the collapse was received around 4:28 pm, triggering a massive, multi-agency rescue operation.
The property is jointly owned by Manju, wife of Ram Dua, and Ritika, wife of Vinod.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rohini) Shashank Jaiswal said after getting information, police teams rushed to the spot, secured the area, ensured the smooth movement of rescue vehicles, evacuated nearby buildings as a precautionary measure and made law-and-order arrangements to facilitate rescue operations.
During the operation, rescuers pulled out Ram Kishore (42) from the debris and shifted him to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. Another labourer, Ravi (35), a POP worker, was rescued safely, he said.
Jaiswal said the building owner, Ram Dua, is suspected to be trapped beneath the debris. The authorities also suspected that four to five labourers might still be trapped inside the collapsed structure.
Rescue operations are being carried out jointly by the Delhi Police, Delhi Fire Services, National Disaster Response Force, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Tata Power and ambulance services.
Private JCB machines and two Hydra cranes were also deployed to remove heavy concrete slabs and speed up the operation.
During the operations, rescue teams established contact with one person trapped under the debris and provided him with drinking water. An oxygen cylinder was arranged from a nearby hospital to supply oxygen to the trapped individual while rescue teams worked to reach him.
The authorities also arranged generators and lighting facilities at the site to ensure uninterrupted rescue work. Police personnel, along with reserve staff, continued to assist specialised rescue agencies.
The rescue operation was still underway at the time of filing this report, while the exact cause of the building collapse remains under investigation.