One woman was killed while her daughter was injured as their 80-year-old four-storeyed house collapsed on Friday in North Delhi’s Azad Market area.
The deceased, identified as 45-year-old Jingla, was pulled out from the debris by firefighters and taken to Bara Hindu Rao Hospital where she was declared brought dead, said a senior police officer.
Her 23-year-old daughter, Komal, is currently undergoing treatment at the hospital and her condition is stable, added the officer.
“A call was received today around 4.05 pm and 12 fire tenders were rushed to the spot. A team from NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) was also involved in the rescue operation,” said a senior officer from Delhi Fire Services.
The police said that two families were living in the building.
“One family had gone to their home town in Bihar for Chhath Puja. Jingla and her daughter Komal were present inside the house,” the police said.
The deplorable condition of the building might be the reason for the collapse, said the officer.
“A case under Sections 288 (Negligent conduct with respect to pulling down or repairing buildings) and 304A (Causing death by negligence) has been registered and further investigation is underway,” said Madhur Verma, DCP (North).
Jingla’s son has alleged that their neighbours were constructing a staircase in their house which weakened the common wall between the two houses, thereby triggering their house to collapse, he said, adding that they will also be investigating this angle.
A senior North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) official said work to remove the debris is underway, as the entire building had collapsed.
North Delhi mayor Sanjeev Nayyar, NDMC Standing Committee chairman Pravesh Wahi and NDMC commissioner P.K. Gupta visited the site of the incident and took stock of the situation.
Meanwhile, the commission has sought a detailed report from the deputy commissioner of the Sadar Pahar Ganj Zone on the incident.
