New Delhi, April 19 — At least 11 people were killed and 11 others injured after a four-storey residential building collapsed early Saturday morning in the Shakti Vihar area of Northeast Delhi, as per agency report. The incident took place around 3:00 AM in Gali Number 1 of the Mustafabad locality, reducing the decades-old structure to rubble and triggering a massive rescue operation that lasted over 12 hours.
The building, reportedly around 20 years old, housed 22 residents, mostly members of a few extended families. Among the deceased were the building's owner, 60-year-old Tahseen, his wife Shahina, their son Nazim, three children aged between two and six, and their daughter-in-law Chandni. Two brothers, Danish and Naved, and two other residents, Reshma and Ishaq, also lost their lives in the tragedy. Several others sustained injuries, with six discharged after treatment and nine, including Tahseen’s wife, still undergoing medical care at GTB Hospital.
Authorities suspect that ongoing construction work on the ground floor, reportedly to build new shops, may have weakened the structure. Local residents echoed this concern, citing continuous water seepage and poor structural maintenance as contributing factors. One resident, Salim Ali, pointed out that the building had visible cracks, possibly worsened by sewage leakage that had been damaging the foundation over time.
Residents described the moment of collapse as similar to an earthquake, with floors shaking and walls trembling. The adjoining house's resident, Rayan, said they initially believed an object had hit their home but soon saw that the neighboring building had completely crumbled.
Delhi Police confirmed that they received a call about the collapse at 3:02 AM and immediately dispatched teams to the scene. Personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Fire Services, and emergency medical units also joined the operation. The NDRF’s Deputy Inspector General, Mohsin Shahidi, described the event as a "pancake collapse," a particularly dangerous type of structural failure with low chances of survival, especially in tightly packed areas like Mustafabad, where large equipment had difficulty accessing the site.
The Delhi Municipal Corporation acknowledged the age of the building in an official statement, while Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta expressed grief and ordered a probe into the incident. She promised strict action against those found responsible. Former Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal also extended condolences and urged party workers to support relief efforts.
As investigations begin, concerns remain high over the safety of several neighboring buildings reported to be in similar precarious conditions. The incident has reignited the debate over unregulated construction and the urgent need for structural audits in densely populated urban settlements.
