New Delhi | The death toll in the collapse of a multi-storey commercial building near Saket Metro station in south Delhi rose to six on Sunday, with 14 people pulled out from the debris as emergency teams continued search and rescue operations over 24 hours after the incident.
"Five of the injured passed away at AIIMS, and another person died at Safdarjung Hospital," officials said, adding that seven others are undergoing treatment at AIIMS.
Police sources said that the victims were preparing for competitive examinations, including 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 and arrest the owner of the building, an official said.
According to an order 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 building that collapsed.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday visited the building collapse site and assured strict action against unauthorised constructions and the officers responsible for it.
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.
The incident occurred on Saturday evening on Westend Marg in the Saidulajab area when the "five-seven-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, the police said.
The area in Saket where the building collapsed is a hub of coaching for students seeking admissions in Medical and Engineering studies in foreign countries.
More than 24 hours after the collapse, rescue operations were still underway, with multiple agencies working to ascertain whether anyone remains trapped under the debris.
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 Ojha, a Nepal-born woman in her early 50s, frequented by students preparing for medical and engineering entrance examinations.
Among the injured are two medical graduates, two GATE aspirants, and an engineer.
Authorities have initiated a detailed inquiry to determine whether structural weaknesses, ongoing construction activity or any violation of building norms contributed to the tragedy. Police said further legal action would be taken based on the findings of the investigation.
Footage of the incident also surfaced on social media platforms, showing that moments before the collapse, a student began recording after noticing stones and bricks falling onto the road. Within seconds, the entire building came crashing down, sending up a massive cloud of dust that engulfed the area and triggered panic among people nearby.
According to the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) statement, an emergency call regarding the building collapse was received at the Emergency Operation Centre at 7.40 pm on Saturday. "A Quick Response Vehicle was immediately dispatched to the site and rescue operations were launched in accordance with standard operating procedures," the statement read.
Upon reaching the spot, authorities found that the 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.
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.
Recalling the terrifying moments, an eyewitness of the incident said that there was a loud sound and the entire area turned into a dust ball.
"One moment, students were eating dinner, revising notes and discussing upcoming exams; the next, they were running for their lives as a deafening roar tore through the evening and a thick cloud of dust engulfed the area," an eyewitness told PTI.
Among those who lost their lives was 28-year-old Kapil, an aspirant for the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), who had gathered with five friends at the canteen adjacent to the building after performing well in an interview for a position at the coveted institution, his friends told PTI. The results are expected in July.
Kapil and his friend Nalin, both former students of Muzaffarpur Institute of Technology (MIT) in Bihar and later associated with a coaching institute in Delhi, were among a group of six students, including two women, who had assembled for the meagre celebration.
Nalin Ray, 23, a resident of Nawada district in Bihar, had recently completed his BTech and was preparing for GATE. Family members said he was planning to return home during his upcoming break and had spoken normally with them earlier in the day.
Ramesh Chand received the crushing news of his daughter's death after waiting for hours near the debris.
A resident of Rajasthan's Alwar, Chand said he rushed to Delhi overnight after receiving a call from students who knew his 24-year-old daughter, informing him that she could not be contacted following Saturday's collapse.
The daughter, Ekta, a Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) graduate, had been living in Delhi for the past year while preparing for the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE), scheduled to be held on June 28.
Just weeks before her 25th birthday on June 25 and days ahead of the crucial examination, she had appeared for a test on Saturday morning which, according to her family, had gone well.
"Her exam had gone well, and she was very happy. She spoke to family members twice in the afternoon, and everyone at home was celebrating her performance," Chand told PTI.
The day after the tragic incident, many aspirants described scenes of panic, dust, and devastation that disrupted months of intense preparation.
Located near Saket Metro station, the Said-Ul-Ajaib area is dotted with libraries, coaching institutes, hostels, and eateries that cater to hundreds of students, including Foreign Medical Graduate (FMG) aspirants and candidates preparing for examinations such as NEET, GATE and other competitive tests.
New Delhi | The collapse of a multi-storey building in south Delhi's Saket area, which claimed six lives, has sent shockwaves through a neighbourhood known as a hub for students preparing for medical and engineering admissions abroad.
The day after the tragic incident, many aspirants described scenes of panic, dust, and devastation that disrupted months of intense preparation.
Located near Saket Metro station, the Said-Ul-Ajaib area is dotted with libraries, coaching institutes, hostels, and eateries that cater to hundreds of students, including Foreign Medical Graduate (FMG) aspirants and candidates preparing for examinations such as NEET, GATE and other competitive tests.
For many in the area, however, the collapse has altered the character of a neighbourhood built around academic ambition.
Students and locals said the neighbourhood attracts aspirants from across India and even foreign nationals pursuing studies or coaching programmes.
Visuals from the collapse site showed a multi-storey commercial-residential building along a narrow lane, with a thick cloud of dust rising from its lower and middle floors as residents and bystanders gathered outside in shock.
Anil, an MBA graduate from Bokaro in Jharkhand who has lived in Delhi for the past year, lost his friend Raji in the collapse. He was studying in a library in an adjoining building when the incident occurred.
"There were several students in the library. We felt tremors, but there was no loud sound. Within moments, the building had collapsed," he said.
Many students preparing for competitive examinations are now left traumatised; some lost friends, while others suffered injuries. "We were already under stress because of our exams. Now, nobody can focus. An important exam is coming up on June 28, and many students are mentally affected by what happened," Anil added.
Several students noted that the library next to the collapsed structure housed around 150 students at the time. "We felt very strong vibrations. The ground seemed to be buzzing and shaking back and forth. Everyone panicked and rushed outside," a student said.
Another student described the aftermath as "a post-apocalyptic scene".
"There was dust everywhere. People ran out, leaving behind phones, books, laptops and tablets. Later, a few students went back to collect their belongings. When they returned, they said everything was covered in dust and debris," he said.
Students mentioned that they pay thousands of rupees for long-term library memberships and spend most of their day there preparing for exams.
They explained that the library occupied multiple floors and served as a major study space for aspirants in the locality.
"The first floor had a party hall while the second and third floors had libraries on both sides. Across the building, there would easily be around 150 students studying there every day," a student said.
Several students and locals alleged that construction work had recently been underway on upper floors of the building and claimed portions of the structure appeared newly built.
Some residents also alleged that several buildings in the area exceed the permissible number of floors and called for a wider structural audit of the neighbourhood.
"The locality remains crowded throughout the day due to the concentration of coaching centres, libraries, offices, salons, educational institutes and co-working spaces," a resident said.
A student from Janakpuri, who lives in the area on rent, said the tragedy has left many aspirants struggling to focus on their studies.
"We have been preparing for months. Many of us came here from different states only to study. But now we have to somehow continue because there is no other option," he said.
Several students also questioned the pace of the initial response, claiming rescue teams arrived nearly two hours after the collapse.