Two Delhi University students living next to the building that collapsed in Delhi’s Satya Niketan have recalled the terrifying moments before the tragedy. Arnica and Mansi, both 20 and second-year students, were inside their PG room when they noticed deep cracks appearing on the walls and ceiling. Sensing danger, they began recording a video. According to NDTV, one of the students can be heard saying, “Looks like it’s going to fall,” as large cracks spread across the room. Minutes later, the neighbouring PG building collapsed, killing seven people.
Delhi Students Witness Horror Before Satya Niketan Building Collapse
Both Arnica and Mansi live in the ‘Kanak Lata’ PG, which is located next to the collapsed ‘HostelDaze’ PG building. The student told NDTV that they were inside their room when the structure next door came crashing down.
“Cracks had already appeared on the walls of our room. Cement and water started seeping through the cracks, which kept getting bigger,” they recalled.
The cracks continued to widen. Realising that something was seriously wrong, one of them started recording.
In the video, she could be seen saying that this building was going to fall before the collapse. Then the situation turned into a nightmare.
“It Felt Like a Huge Tremor”: Students Recall Delhi PG Collapse
The student revealed that the entire building next to their room collapsed. The students said the impact felt like a massive tremor. They feared that their own PG building could also collapse.
“It felt like a huge tremor. We thought our own building would also collapse. We ran for our lives, screaming at other girls to escape because initially, some of them did not understand what was happening,” they said. Mansi said she narrowly escaped being hit by falling bricks.
“Bricks were falling near my bed. I had a narrow escape. Bricks were falling all around. Had I been on my bed at that moment, they would have fallen on me,” she said. In the chaos, she left behind her phone and other belongings.
Debris Blocked Exit as Students Ran for Their Lives
The exit gate of their building was blocked by debris after the Delhi Satya Niketan building collapse. The students and others had to push the gate open together before managing to escape. The two students are also struggling to come to terms with the deaths of those living in the neighbouring building.
“Just an hour earlier, those boys were alive. An hour later, they were all dead,” an emotional Mansi said.
Delhi Satya Niketan Building Collapse: Survivors Say Screams From Rubble Still Haunt Them
The trauma has continued even days after the tragedy. The students said they have barely been able to sleep. The images of the collapsing PG building and trapped students continue to haunt them.
“We can still hear the voices of the students who were buried under the collapsed building. Those voices are stuck in our heads. As if they are calling out, ‘Save us.’” Arnica said they had expected South Delhi to be a safe place to live.
“We expected South Delhi to be a good and safe area, but instead we found ourselves living in an urban slum,” she said.
Their own PG building has now been declared unsafe and is scheduled to be demolished by the MCD, according to the report. The Satya Niketan PG building collapse has left behind not only rubble, but also survivors struggling to forget the horrifying moments they witnessed.
Sudeep Singh Rawat is a Copy Editor at NewsX Digital with over five years of experience in digital journalism. He covers national and international news, with a focus on politics, crime, technology, public affairs, and trending topics. Before joining NewsX Digital, he worked with Business Standard, The Sunday Guardian, and other digital media organisations. His reporting focuses on breaking news, enterprise stories, and explainers that inform readers through accurate, balanced, and context-driven journalism.
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