40 feared trapped, 50 rescued
At least 31 people were killed and 60 others were injured, 30 of them critically, when a five-storey building collapsed in the Lalita Park area of Lakshmi Nagar in east Delhi on Monday evening. More than 100 people were living in the building and while nearly 50 had been rescued, at least 40 others were feared trapped when reports
last came in. Most of the injured were labourers and daily wagers. Rescue operations are in full swing and the toll is likely to go up. The fire department received a call about the collapse of the building, located opposite Ramesh Park community centre, which is nearly 200 metres from the Shakarpur police station, around 8.15 pm. More than a dozen fire tenders were pressed into service. MCD officials too rushed to the site to initiate rescue operations.
Those extricated from the debris were rushed to LNJP hospital, Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, Hedgewar Hospital and some other medical centres nearby. Among the dead, 23 were reported from LNJP alone, while the remaining at Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital. Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit said that all possible help would be extended to those injured and to the next of the kin of those who have died. With the approach road to the building being very narrow, authorities found it difficult to initiate the rescue and had to bring down a boundary wall of a “rainy well” belonging to the Delhi Jal Board in order to begin the debris-clearing operation.
The lieutenant-governor’s OSD Ranjan Mukherjee, who visited the spot, said the possible reason behind the collapse could be “liquification of soil”.
“The Pushta area had seen prolonged flood-like situation this season. The seepage of water inside the building foundation could have been the reason,” he said.
Post new comment