Three people, including a 12‑year‑old girl and a 21‑year‑old pregnant woman, lost their lives when a five‑storey building in the Seemapuri slum of northeast Delhi collapsed on Wednesday afternoon. Eight additional residents were rescued with injuries, prompting a coordinated response from fire, police, municipal and disaster‑management agencies.
Casualties and injured persons
The collapse claimed the lives of an unidentified 12‑year‑old girl, Gulafsha – a 21‑year‑old woman who was about four months pregnant – and a younger child whose age was not recorded. According to officials, the girl’s body was recovered from the rubble with severe head trauma.
Eight other individuals were pulled from the debris and taken to hospitals for treatment. Their identities and ages were listed as follows: Momin Mirja, 56; Abdaan, 3; Abdul Rehman, 28; Devruddin, 28; Salma, 50; Chote, 34; Sakina, 35; and Samad, 30. Some of those injured were inside the building at the time it gave way, while others were seated on the roadside when the structure collapsed.
Rescue operations and response
The building gave way between 3:10 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. in a densely populated lane of the E‑Block area, close to Idgah Machhli Mandi. The Delhi Fire Service received the emergency call at approximately 3:30 p.m. and dispatched fire tenders and rescue teams to the scene. Delhi Police, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), and the Delhi Disaster Management Authority also arrived, and a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) unit reached the location later in the day.
Rescue crews faced significant challenges due to narrow lanes and the tightly packed surroundings. Heavy machinery, including four JCB excavators, was employed to clear the rubble and search for survivors. Several ambulances were on standby, and sniffer dogs were brought in to assist in locating any remaining victims. Because the collapse damaged an electricity pole and snapped wires leading to a nearby market, power to the area was cut, and generators were used to illuminate the site for rescue personnel working into the evening.
The chief minister’s office posted an update on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday night, stating that “every effort is being made to safely rescue those trapped under the debris and provide prompt medical care to the injured.” Chief Minister Rekha Gupta directed all relevant agencies to coordinate closely, expedite rescue activities, and ensure that affected families receive necessary assistance.
Background, building details and possible causes
Municipal officials said the structure stood on a plot owned by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) that measured roughly 25 square yards. The building was estimated to be 20 to 25 years old. While officials described it as a ground‑plus‑three‑storey construction, local residents reported that it had five storeys.
The collapse also caused damage to two adjoining buildings, with portions of one wall coming down, and it broke the boundary wall of a nearby Idgah. Residents of the area, many of whom are rag‑picker families collecting recyclable material, told MCD officials that the building had developed visible cracks after an earthquake that was reported in the vicinity a day earlier. According to those residents, the owner had subsequently attempted to vacate the structure, although police have not verified these claims.
Authorities indicated that a detailed structural assessment will be conducted to determine the exact cause of the failure. Until that assessment is completed, officials have refrained from assigning definitive blame, focusing instead on rescue, medical care and support for the victims’ families.
The incident follows a similar tragedy that occurred a month earlier, when a paying‑guest facility in South Delhi’s Satya Niketan collapsed, resulting in seven deaths. Both events have raised concerns about the safety of aging residential structures in densely populated parts of the capital.
As of the latest updates, rescue operations continued into the night, with teams searching for any additional survivors and providing medical attention to the injured. The incident underscores the challenges faced by emergency services in navigating cramped urban environments and highlights the need for regular structural inspections, especially after seismic activity.
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