Rohini building collapse death toll rises to three; FIR lodged against unknown persons
New Delhi, July 9: The death toll in the collapse of a four-storey under-construction building in northwest Delhi's Rohini rose to three on Thursday, after rescue teams recovered two more bodies from the debris overnight. An FIR has been registered in connection with the incident, police said.
The building, located near an MCD school in Sector 16, collapsed around 4:20 p.m. on Wednesday amid heavy rain. The structure was under construction and had received sanctioned plans under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's SARAL Scheme, which allows automatic building permits based on self-verified undertakings by certified architects or engineers.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rohini) Shashank Jaiswal said that during the rescue operation, one labourer, identified as Saddam alias Ravi (32), was pulled out alive and taken to hospital. Three bodies were recovered: Ram (42), a local tailor; Kafe alias Nurul (24), a labourer; and Ram Dua (62), the father of the building owner. Ram was declared brought dead at the hospital; the other two were extricated later.
Previously, officials had reported five injured, but later clarified that only one person was injured. The rescue operation is nearly complete, and debris removal is ongoing to ensure no one else is trapped.
An FIR has been registered, though the details were not immediately known. The exact cause of the collapse is under investigation. The MCD's preliminary assessment indicates that plumbing work inside the building may have involved drilling or cutting of structural members such as beams and columns, potentially contributing to the collapse. However, the civic body noted that a detailed technical examination is required to establish the definitive cause.
Multiple agencies, including the Delhi Police, Delhi Fire Service, National Disaster Response Force, MCD, and Revenue Department, participated in the rescue operation, deploying heavy machinery to clear debris.
