Days after a multi-storey building collapsed in South Delhi's Satya Niketan, killing seven people and injuring several others, the adjoining PG building has also developed deep cracks on the ceiling and walls of a room. The building will now be demolished in a calibrated manner.
The students living in the adjoining building, identified as 20-year-olds Arnica and Mansi, had recorded a video moments before the neighbouring PG building came crashing down. Both lived in the 'Kanak Lata' PG next door.
"Looks like it's going to fall," Arnica is heard saying in the video, which shows large cracks running across the walls of their room.
Moments later, the neighbouring 'HostelDaze' PG building collapsed, reducing to rubble and burying students and labourers under the debris.
The two students said they rushed out of their building as the neighbouring structure came crashing down, reported NDTV.
They claimed they were inside their room when the building collapsed.
"Cracks had already appeared on the walls of our room. Cement and water started seeping through the cracks, which kept getting bigger," they recalled. "This building is going to fall."
They claimed, "Suddenly, the wall next to our room collapsed, followed by the entire building."
"It felt like a huge tremor. We thought our own building would also collapse. We ran for our lives, screaming at other girls to escape because initially, some of them did not understand what was happening," they added.
To save herself, Mansi left her phone and all her belongings behind.
"Bricks were falling near my bed. I had a narrow escape. Bricks were falling all around. Had I been on my bed at that moment, they would have fallen on me," Mansi said.
The exit gate of the adjoining building was also blocked by debris. The students had to push it open together with others to make their way out.
The students added they still cannot believe that the boys living in the neighbouring building are dead.
"Just an hour earlier, those boys were alive. An hour later, they were all dead," an emotional Mansi said.
According to the FIR registered by Delhi Police, the building that collapsed was several years old. Its owners, identified as Hari Bansal and his brother, had allegedly constructed four additional floors for rental income despite concerns over the structure's load-bearing capacity.
The FIR also stated that further construction work was underway, allegedly placing additional pressure on the structure. Police have alleged that the construction was carried out despite the owners being aware that the existing building's foundation could not bear the additional weight.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said 12 people were rescued from the Satya Niketan building collapse, seven of whom died, including two labourers. She said one injured labourer remains hospitalised with a severe leg injury, while two children are stable and will be discharged. Another child is in the ICU in serious condition. Gupta assured the victims’ families of the best possible medical care, government support and financial assistance. She also said the adjoining building has been declared unsafe and will be demolished tomorrow.
The Satya Niketan Collapse on September 6 killed seven people. Delhi Police have arrested Hariram, his wife Urmila and their son Mahesh in connection with the incident.