New Delhi, Oct 25 Two men, aged 60 and 36, are suspected to be trapped under the rubble after a slab of a house under construction collapsed in northeast Delhi’s Harsh Vihar area on Sunday, prompting a rescue operation involving the NDRF, fire services and police, officers said.
The incident took place in Milan Garden, triggering panic in the locality as the structure came crashing down. Rescue teams were clearing the debris and making efforts to ascertain whether the two men were trapped underneath, a senior police officer said.
The Delhi Fire Services and police received information about the incident around 7 pm and rushed to the spot. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the local police and the fire department were also engaged in the rescue and relief operation.
A team from the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) also reached the site and joined the efforts, the officer said.
“During local inquiries, we learnt that two people who were working at the building may be trapped under the rubble. One is a 60-year-old man and the other is 36. Their family members suspect that they are trapped as their mobile phones are not reachable,” the officer said.
“Our main focus is to clear all the debris and, if someone is trapped, rescue them quickly,” he added.
The officer said construction work was underway on the first floor of the building when the house collapsed. However, the exact cause of the incident is yet to be ascertained.
As the rescue operation progressed, no one had been found under the debris till the time of filing this report. Officials said the possibility of people being trapped had not yet been confirmed, and teams were continuing efforts to clear the rubble and assess the situation.
Some family members of the two men alleged that the rescue work was progressing slowly and said they were attempting to remove the debris themselves in the hope of locating their relatives.
Police personnel were deployed in strength at the site to maintain law and order and manage the crowd gathered near the collapsed structure. Emergency responders were coordinating their efforts to clear the debris safely and determine whether anyone remained trapped.
The collapse drew a large number of local residents to the spot, with anxious family members waiting for information about the two men.
Officials said the immediate priority was to clear the debris and establish whether the missing men were beneath it. The rescue and relief operation was underway.
(PTI News)
