Third body recovered after Old Delhi building collapse kills three labourers
Rescuers found another labourer in the Hauz Qazi debris as police search for builders involved in the unauthorised construction.
The death toll from a building collapse in Old Delhi's Hauz Qazi rose to three on Saturday after rescuers recovered the body of another labourer. According to Rediff, the deceased has been identified as 40-year-old Pankaj Sharma from Bihar's Khagaria district.
The three-storey structure collapsed near the Chawri Bazar metro station around 9:45 am on Thursday. Officials stated that five people have been pulled from the rubble so far, consisting of three fatalities and two injured persons who are currently stable.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) reported that the building was being constructed on a 50-square-metre plot without a sanctioned plan. An MCD official noted that the collapse occurred while a roof slab was being laid using non-engineered material that had not set properly.
Police have registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the owners and contractors. The Indian Express reported that investigators believe the collapse may have occurred because work resumed just seven days after the third-floor slab was laid, rather than the ideal 15 days.
On Friday, authorities arrested three contractors, identified as Siraj, Tajuddin, and Furkan, in Faridabad's Sirohi village, according to The Times of India. An officer alleged the contractors were aware of the lack of permissions and failed to provide safety equipment to the workers.
The Delhi Police, Fire Services, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and the MCD are continuing debris-clearing operations. Efforts are ongoing to locate any remaining individuals trapped under the remains of the structure.