New Delhi, Nov 7:
The death toll in the three-storey building collapse in Old Delhi’s Hauz Qazi area rose to three on Saturday morning after disaster response personnel pulled another labourer’s body from under the rubble, nearly 48 hours after the structure collapsed.
The deceased was identified as 40-year-old Pankaj Sharma, a native of Hanuman Nagar village in Bihar’s Khagaria district. Five individuals have been extracted from the debris so far, including two injured workers, Sahdev Chaudhary (25) and Firoz (37), who are undergoing treatment in stable condition. Earlier, two workers, Kishori (40) and Sanjeet (45), were declared dead upon extrication.
The under-construction building in Gali Sitara near Chawri Bazar Metro station crashed down on Thursday morning while a third-floor roof slab was being cast. Civic officials confirmed that the structure was being built without municipal building approvals using non-engineered materials. Police have registered a case under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the property owner and contractor Furqan, with search operations underway to trace them.