Six persons, including a two-year-old girl, were killed and eight others injured when a four-storey building collapsed at Welcome area in north-east Delhi on Saturday morning, a senior police officer said.
The deceased included Matloob, 50, the owner of the building, his wife Rabia, 46, and two sons, Javed, 23, and Abdulla, 15. Two more persons — Zubia, 27, and her two-year-old daughter, Fozia — were also declared dead.
The bodies were retrieved and sent to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital. Matloob’s two other sons, Parvez, 32, and Naved, 19, his daughter-in-law Siza, 21, and one-year-old grandson, Ahmad, were injured in the accident. Govind, 60, his wife Deepa, 56, brother Ravi Kashyap, 27, and sister-in-law Jyoti, 27, who lived in the opposite building, sustained injuries in the mishap. Seven injured persons are undergoing treatment at Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital, while one has been admitted to GTB Hospital.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (North East) Ashish Kumar Mishra said the police received a PCR call at 7.04 a.m. informing them about the collapse of the building near Idgah in Welcome area.
The National Disaster Response Force, Delhi Fire Services, and other agencies were alerted and the rescue operation was launched, the police said. “All missing persons were rescued. The process to clear the rubble is under way,” the officer said.
According to the police, Matloob lived with his family members on the second, third, and top floors of the building, while the ground and first floors were vacant. The collapse was so severe that it damaged the portion of the building opposite their house, the police said.
A senior police officer said the building was over 15 years old, and prima facie, its “poor construction” could be a reason for the collapse. A case has been registered and a probe is under way to ascertain the cause of the collapse, the officer added.
‘Mishaps recurring’
Labour Minister Kapil Mishra, who visited the spot, alleged that such incidents are recurring only in “certain types of areas” of the city. “A few days back, a building collapsed in Mustafabad (north-east Delhi). Only in certain types of areas are buildings collapsing,” he alleged.
Attacking the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, he said, “In the last 10 to 15 years, a terrible game of corruption has been played for vote bank politics. They [AAP leaders] are responsible for the deaths.”
The Minister also alleged that due to corruption, unauthorised multi-storey structures had been constructed without any safety standards. “There should be an inquiry into the incident and whoever is responsible for it should not be spared — whether it is an official or a political leader,” he said.
Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said the Municipal Corporation of Delhi should conduct a survey of old and dilapidated buildings and get them vacated or repaired.
‘Provide compensation’
While AAP did not respond to the allegations, its national convener, Arvind Kejriwal, in a post on X said, “I appeal to all our local party colleagues to go to the spot and extend every possible assistance to the administration.”
Meanwhile, the Congress asked the Delhi government to announce compensation of ₹10 lakh each to the deceased and ₹2 lakh each to the injured.
Published – July 13, 2025 01:36 am IST
