Death toll in Delhi building collapse rises to seven; five MCD officials suspended

New Delhi: The death toll in the Satya Niketan building collapse in southwest Delhi rose to seven on Monday as rescue teams recovered one more body from the basement of the debris, while five Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) officials were suspended over alleged lapses.

Search and rescue operations, which continued through the night, involved teams from Delhi Police, the National Disaster Response Force, Delhi Fire Service and the Delhi Disaster Management Authority, with officials fearing that several people, mostly students, may still be trapped.

According to AIIMS, a total of 12 victims were brought to the JPN Apex Trauma Centre after the collapse; five were brought dead, one later succumbed to injuries and the remaining are under treatment, with four patients admitted and one discharged after observation. The five-storey structure, known as Hostel Daze and operating as a boys’ paying guest accommodation, was around 40–50 years old and had rooms for about 40 residents, many of them students of Delhi University’s South Campus. The collapse occurred at about 1.30 p.m. on Sunday while repair work was reportedly underway in the basement, and officials indicated that heavy rains may have contributed to the incident.

An FIR has been registered at the South Campus police station against the building owner, Hariram Bansal, and others on charges including culpable homicide and negligence, and a lookout circular was issued as police formed 10 teams to trace him. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, who visited the site on Monday morning, said strict action would be taken against MCD officials found responsible for negligence, even as the civic body ordered demolition of another building in the area declared dilapidated and hazardous.

(Inputs from IANS)