A father-son duo working at a construction site was killed after a building structure collapsed at Milan Garden in northeast Delhi’s Harsh Vihar last evening, the police said on Monday.
The deceased were identified as Chanderpal (60) and Vijay Kumar (33), both residents of Gali No. 14 in Harsh Vihar.
A preliminary investigation revealed several safety lapses at the construction site, including the absence of safety gears. More importantly there were no pillars to support the second floor being constructed above the existing structure.
The building, owned by Manoj Kumar, housed a godown on the ground floor, with a structure built above it on the first floor. Both the godown and the first-floor structure collapsed.
According to the Delhi Fire Services, a call regarding the collapse was received at 6:46 pm on Sunday. Five fire tenders were rushed to the spot and rescue teams began clearing the debris amid reports that two people could be trapped underneath.
Divisional Fire Officer Ravinder Singh said the rescue operation continued for nearly 14 hours before being called off. Though the operation has concluded for now, teams will remain deployed at the site as a precaution.
A local resident said the collapse appeared to have occurred while a concrete slab was being laid for an additional floor. “A concrete slab was being cast for the building. The existing lower slab was weak, and a new one was being laid on top of it. As a result, the lower slab gave way, causing the newly laid slab above it to collapse,” the resident said.
The latest incident comes after the building collapse in Satya Niketan, near Delhi University’s South Campus, which claimed seven lives. The building was being used as a boys’ paying guest (PG) accommodation and had a basement and five upper floors. Repair work was underway in the basement when the structure gave way.
