NEW DELHI — What began as a quiet Sunday afternoon in South Delhi’s Satya Niketan quickly turned into a nightmare after a multi-storey building housing a student paying guest (PG) accommodation collapsed without warning.
Eyewitnesses described a sudden, violent rumble that felt like a major earthquake, followed instantly by a massive plume of dust and thick smoke.
"Bhaiya, Please Save Me": Harrowing Firsthand Accounts
Krishna Bhardwaj, a campaigner who was in the area and among the very first responders at the scene, recalled the harrowing ordeal of pulling victims from the debris before formal emergency services could navigate the narrow lanes.
"We started clearing the rubble manually with whatever tools or bare hands we had," Bhardwaj said.
In a tragic turn, Bhardwaj later learned at the hospital that the young student succumbed to his severe injuries shortly after being extracted.
Other witnesses reported hearing muffled screams originating from deep inside the pile.
Flawed Renovations and Unsafe Infrastructure Blamed
While official investigations into the cause are underway, preliminary reports from locals and initial responders indicate that structural modifications were actively being carried out on the lower levels.
Students living in the cluster of PG facilities in Satya Niketan voiced deep anger over living conditions, alleging that rigid 11-month lease contracts forced them to remain in aging structures with visible structural defects, dampness, and severe seepage.
Massive Rescue Drive Operations
Personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Fire Services (DFS), Delhi Police, and local civic authorities deployed specialized cutters, life-detector sensors, and heavy equipment to locate survivors.
Rescue operations are ongoing as teams methodically cut through reinforced concrete, while authorities have evacuated neighboring buildings over safety concerns.
