Saket Building Collapse: A fresh video has surfaced on the social media showing the moment a multi-storey commercial building in south Delhi's Saket collapsed into a massive cloud of dust.
The building, which had three floors, functioned as a coaching centre with some cafes and offices. It was known as a hub for students preparing for admissions to medical and engineering courses in foreign countries. Construction work was reportedly underway on the upper floor before the building collapsed on Saturday night.
In the video, several people can be seen standing near the building and looking toward a spot on the upper floor from where dust was emerging, indicating that something was wrong. Within seconds, the structure crumbled completely and disappeared into the ground. Those standing nearby ran to safety moments before the video cut off.
The video could not be independently verified by The Daily Jagran.
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The death toll in the collapse of the commercial building near Saket Metro Station in south Delhi rose to six on Sunday, while several others were rescued from the debris and admitted to hospitals, officials said.
According to PTI, citing police sources, some of the injured and deceased were preparing for the Foreign Medical Graduate (FMG) Examination.
An FIR has been registered under relevant sections, including culpable homicide, and teams have been constituted to investigate the circumstances that led to the collapse, officials said.
The incident occurred on Saturday evening on Western Marg in the Saidulajab area when the multi-storey structure suddenly came crashing down. The building housed a coaching institute, cafes and offices, while construction work was reportedly underway on its upper floor at the time of the collapse.
According to the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), an emergency call regarding the building collapse was received at the Emergency Operation Centre at 7.40 pm on Saturday.
Upon reaching the spot, authorities found that a five-to seven-storey building spread across approximately 300-400 square yards had completely collapsed. Residents informed rescue personnel that around 10 to 15 people were feared trapped beneath the debris.
"A total of six people have died in the incident. Rescue operation is underway," Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Anant Mittal told PTI.
The deceased have been identified as Ravi (24), Kapil (28), Nalin Ray (23), Alok, Parvati (35) and Ekta (24). Officials said the building was reduced to rubble, with a large portion of the debris falling onto an adjoining tin-shed canteen owned by Parvati, which was frequented by students preparing for medical entrance examinations.
The injured were identified as Kshitij Pratap (25), Neelam Yadav (25), Anuj Dixit (22), Tarun (25), Saika Khan (27), Aastha (26), Aditya Sharma (24) and Vishal (25). All of them were shifted to the AIIMS Trauma Centre for treatment. Police said some of the injured had already been discharged after receiving medical care, while others remained under observation.
The exact cause of the collapse is yet to be known. Authorities have initiated a detailed inquiry to determine whether structural weaknesses, ongoing construction activity or violations of building norms contributed to the tragedy.
Meanwhile, according to an order issued by the Deputy Commissioner of MCD's South Zone, Assistant Engineer (Building) Sudesh Singh Chouhan and Junior Engineer (Building) Aman Jain have been placed under suspension over alleged lapses in supervision related to the collapsed building.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday visited the site of a building collapse. The government ordered a magisterial inquiry into the matter. The FIR has been lodged at Mehrauli police station, while the inquiry will be conducted under the supervision of the South District Magistrate on the chief minister's directions.
Police said further legal action would be taken based on the findings of the investigation.
( With PTI inputs )