Two Killed as Three-Storey Building Under Construction Collapses in Old Delhi's Chawri Bazaar

Two people were killed and one person was injured when a three-storey building under construction collapsed on Thursday morning, November 5, in the Chawri Bazaar area of Old Delhi, officials said. The injured person was rescued from the rubble. Delhi Police said two people lost their lives and one person was injured.

The collapse was reported at 9:50 am from Gali Sitara, near Chawri Bazaar Metro Station. Delhi Fire Services received the distress call at about 9:50 am. Six fire units, including water tenders and rescue vehicles, were rushed to the site.

The first hour at Gali Sitara

By about 10:15 am, Station Officer DK Rai reported that the three-storey building had collapsed and that people were likely trapped inside. Six fire units were engaged in total at that stage, according to the fire service response reported by The CSR Journal.

Officials said several people were feared trapped under the debris and rescue operations were underway. Further details were awaited as the work continued through the morning. The building that came down was under construction and had three storeys.

A rescue in a narrow lane

A later report citing Delhi Police said National Disaster Response Force personnel were clearing debris by hand because the narrow lane at the site blocked heavy machinery. That detail explains why the clearing work at Gali Sitara moved by hand rather than with large equipment.

The same later report, crediting India Today as the original source, put the number of people feared trapped at six to seven. Police said two people had lost their lives and one person was injured, matching the toll officials gave earlier in the morning.

What the trapped count does and does not say

Reports from the morning do not agree on how many people were feared trapped, and this article does not treat that number as settled. IANS and PTI reporting said several people were feared trapped. The CSR Journal put the figure at six. The later report crediting India Today put it at six to seven.

The figures that officials have stated in common are narrower. Two people were killed. One person was injured and was rescued from the rubble. Six fire units went to the site. The call came at 9:50 am. Beyond those points, the trapped count changed between reports as the rescue went on, and officials had not given a final settled figure in the reports used for this article.

What is not known yet

The cause of the collapse has not been officially established. No official finding on why the under-construction building came down was given in the reports from Thursday morning.

Rescue operations were still underway when the reports were filed, with personnel clearing debris at the site in Gali Sitara and further details awaited from officials. Any later change to the toll or to the trapped count would need a fresh statement from the police, the fire services or the rescue teams at the site.