2 die in Old Delhi building collapse

Members of the National Disaster Response Force walk through the debris of a collapsed building with a thermal imaging camera to look for trapped people in Delhi on Thursday. (Photo: PTI)

Two persons were killed and at least two others were injured two floors of a nearly 80-year-old building in Old Delhi’s Lahori Gate area collapsed on Thursday.

The incident was reported at 11.20 am after an old building in Krishna Market area of Lahori Gate, which was under renovation, collapsed all of a sudden. A family of three who lived on the first floor and one of the labourers escaped unhurt.

Four fire tenders and teams of the National Disaster Response Force and the police were rushed to the spot and they launched a rescue operation after a call was made to the fire brigade. Locals assisted the police and fire personnel in the rescue operation. Five labourers were pulled out of the rubble and taken to a hospital.

Narrow lanes in the congested locality restricted the movement of fire engines. Fearing that nearby buildings might get affected too, the police also evacuated people living in them.

The police said that it was not clear whether the owner had taken permission from civic authorities for the construction.

“A case under IPC Section 304 A has been filed against the owner of the house. The owner has been arrested. An investigation is underway,” said Madhur Verma, DCP (North).

The third floor and a portion of second floor of the building had collapsed. Exact cause of the collapse will be found out after investigation. Concerned civic agencies have been alerted about the incident, said a police official at the spot.

The injured were taken to the hospital, where two labourers, identified as Ramji Lal and Ram Karan, succumbed to their injuries during treatment. Three more labourers are undergoing treatment at the Aruna Asaf Ali Government Hospital.

The police said that renovation of any building in the area is forbidden by law. Around 30 buildings have been identified as “dangerous” in the Walled City after a building collapse in Chandni Mahal in 2011, claiming eight lives.