The death toll in the building collapse in Delhi’s Hauz Qazi area rose to four on Saturday after rescue teams recovered two more bodies from the debris on the third day of search and rescue operations.
One of the deceased was identified as Pankaj Sharma, 40, a resident of Hanuman Nagar village in Bihar’s Khagaria district. The identity of the second victim was yet to be established. The body was shifted to Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, while the remains were taken to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital for further proceedings.
Rescue personnel continued to search through the debris for survivors and clear the site following the collapse of an under-construction building in Sattara Gali, near Ajmeri Gate.
The first two victims were identified as Kishori, 40, and Sanjeet, 45. Two other labourers, Sahdev Chaudhary, 25, and Firoz, 37, were rescued alive with injuries. Their condition was reported to be stable.
Hauz Qazi Building Collapse: What Caused the Incident?
The three-storey building collapsed at around 9.45 am on Thursday near Chawri Bazar Metro station. According to the police, between 10 and 15 workers were present at the site when the incident occurred.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) said the construction was allegedly being carried out without the required permissions on a plot measuring around 50 square metres. An MCD official said no building plan had been approved for the property.
Construction had reached the third floor, and the building collapsed while the roof slab was being laid. According to the MCD official, the use of non-engineered construction materials that had not set properly may have contributed to the collapse.