Delhi building collapse: Pregnant woman, two children among 3 killed; 8 injured

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Oct 8, 2026: Three people, including a child and a 21-year-old pregnant woman, were killed and eight others injured after a building collapsed in northeast Delhi’s Seemapuri area on Wednesday, officials said.

Eleven people were rescued from the debris by Wednesday evening. Eight of the injured were shifted to Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital in Tahirpur for treatment.

The deceased included a girl aged around 12, whose identity is yet to be established; Gulafsa, 21, who was around four months pregnant; and a child aged about one-and-a-half years, whose identity is also yet to be ascertained.

The injured were identified as Momin Mirja, 56, Abdaan, 3, Abdul Rehman, 28, Devruddin, 28, Salma, 50, Chote, 34, Sakina, 35, and Samad, 30, officials said.

Authorities are examining whether cracks that reportedly developed in the building after tremors caused by an earthquake in Uttarakhand on Tuesday evening contributed to the collapse. The exact cause of the incident is yet to be established.

According to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), neighbours said cracks had appeared in the structure following the earthquake and that the owner was in the process of vacating the building.

The Delhi Fire Services received a distress call at around 3.30 pm and rushed fire tenders to the spot. Teams from the Delhi Police, Delhi Disaster Management Authority, National Disaster Response Force, MCD and Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board joined the search-and-rescue operation.

Police said the four-storey building stood on a plot measuring around 225 square feet. The MCD, however, described it as a three-storey structure in a jhuggi-jhopri settlement spread across about 22 square yards in the DUSIB area near Idgah Machhli Mandi.

An MCD official said the building was around 20 to 25 years old and was occupied when it collapsed. Walls of an adjoining building and the boundary wall of a nearby mosque also collapsed in the incident.

According to local residents, families involved in ragpicking were present in the area, with some collecting plastic and other materials when they were trapped under the debris.

Locals also joined the rescue operation, removing bricks and rubble with their hands and helping those trapped. Videos from the spot showed residents pulling a woman out of the debris and carrying her to safety.

Heavy machinery, including excavators, was deployed to clear the rubble, while paramedics and emergency personnel treated the rescued victims. Search operations continued for people who may still be trapped.

A local resident said residents had rescued several people before the police arrived.

The incident comes a month after a building collapse in southwest Delhi’s Satya Niketan on September 6 left seven people dead and 12 injured.

The Delhi Traffic Police advised commuters to avoid the area as traffic movement was affected around Seemapuri roundabout, DLF Bhopura and adjoining roads. It also urged people not to stop, park vehicles or gather near the site to ensure clear passage for ambulances and rescue vehicles.

Rescue and relief operations are continuing at the site.