Father and Son Killed in Harsh Vihar Building Collapse in Northeast Delhi

A father and his son died after a building collapsed on Sunday evening, October 25, at Milan Garden in Harsh Vihar, in northeast Delhi. The two men were pulled from the rubble during an overnight rescue operation and were declared dead at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, which is known as GTB Hospital.

The dead were named as Chanderpal, aged 60, and his son Vijay Kumar. Both were residents of Gali No. 14 in Harsh Vihar. Their bodies were sent for post mortem after they were pulled out of the debris. Reports differ on the son age, so this article does not print a firm age for him.

The call on Sunday evening

The Delhi Fire Services received a call about the incident at 6:46 pm on Sunday and dispatched five fire tenders to the spot, ANI reported. At that first stage, two people were feared trapped under the debris and no fatalities had been reported. Rescue operations began on Sunday evening and continued through the night.

Delhi ministers Kapil Mishra and Ashish Sood visited the site on Sunday night. Mishra said at that stage that fire department and National Disaster Response Force personnel were actively engaged in the work and that efforts were underway to rescue the people believed to be trapped.

An old house with a new floor on top

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Sandeep Lamba explained the building to reporters. "We received a call that a building had collapsed. The original structure was an old, single-storey building; an additional floor was being constructed on top. The area is completely enclosed, making it difficult to even identify exactly which building collapsed," Lamba said.

Reports from the site say the collapse happened while that new floor was being built above the existing old house. A portion of the existing roof gave way, and the freshly laid slab above it collapsed as well. Both men were trapped when the roof and the slab came down. Mishra said it appeared at first glance that an attempt was being made to install a new lintel, that it collapsed, and that the floor below caved in as well.

The overnight rescue

Teams from the National Disaster Response Force, the Delhi Police, the fire brigade and Civil Defence worked to clear the debris. A crane and heavy machinery were used at the site, and a dog squad was also called in, The Daily Jagran reported.

ANI reported on Monday morning, October 26, that a body had been recovered from the site while the clearing work continued. The Daily Jagran reported that two bodies were pulled out of the rubble in the overnight operation. Efforts continued after the recovery to check whether anyone else was still trapped.

Investigation and a second collapse this month

Officials said legal action under the relevant provisions of law was being initiated, and a further investigation is in progress into the circumstances of the collapse.

The Harsh Vihar collapse is the second building collapse in Delhi in October. Earlier in the month, a portion of a multi storey building collapsed in the Seemapuri area of the city.