The death toll in the three-storey building collapse in Gali Shahtara, in Old Delhi’s Hauz Qazi area, rose to six on Saturday after rescuers recovered four more bodies from the debris, officials said.
All six deceased have been identified. Two injured persons are stable, while one person remains trapped under the rubble. The remaining debris is expected to be cleared by Saturday night.
Meanwhile, the police arrested the building owner, identified as Saimullah, aka Ayub, a resident of Gali Shahtara, on Saturday. Three contractors had already been arrested on Friday in connection with the collapse.
The six deceased have been identified as Sanjeet Kumar, Kishori Sah, Pankaj Sharma, Vipin Ram, Shantu Mukhiya and Dinesh Sah, according to the police. All of them hailed from Bihar, and some of them lived in Mandawali in Delhi in a rented accommodation in Mandawali, Delhi, the police said.
The three-storey building collapsed around 9.45 am on Thursday, triggering a massive rescue operation involving the Delhi Police, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Fire Services and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
Rescue teams have been stationed at the site since the incident, with operations continuing to clear the debris and ascertain whether anyone else remained trapped underneath.
