Delhi: Two killed in house collapse at Punjabi Bagh

A 30-year-old woman and her three-year-old son were killed after a portion of a three-storeyed dilapidated building collapsed on them, in west Delhi’s Punjabi Bagh on Tuesday, police and fire department officials said.

The woman’s one-and-a-half-year-old daughter survived the collapse, as she was playing a few distance away from the spot in Arihant Nagar, they said.

Police said that the deceased woman, Mamata. used to live on the ground floor of the building as its caretaker along with her family and relatives. Apart from them, there was no one else in the building, which police said was lying in an abandoned state for years.

A case was registered in connection with the deaths.

Police were yet to nab the owner of the disputed building, as officers said that two brothers were fighting a legal battle for claiming its ownership.

According to the police, the building was nearly 40 years old, and was not repaired in a long time. However, the family had been living there for past some years along with five-six relatives. Mamata and her husband also ran a tea stall on the building’s ground floor, a police officer aware of the matter said.

The Delhi government announced 20 lakh as compensation to the victim’s family. PWD minister Atishi also visited the spot after the incident and spoke to the family of the deceased.

Delhi Fire Services (DFS) chief Atul Garg said that around 1 pm, the fire control room was informed about a house collapse near Maharaj Banquet Hall in West Punjabi Bagh. On reaching the spot, it was found that a covered area of an old three-storeyed building had collapsed, and Mamata and her son were trapped under it. Rest of the family members had gone to work when the collapse happened, officials said.

The duo remained trapped under the debris for nearly an hour, officials said. They were rescued by the team of the fire department and some labourers working at a nearby construction site. The two were on an iron cot when the mishap happened, locals said.

“Mamta and her son Anshul were rescued and rushed to a nearby hospital where both were declared brought dead,” said Garg.

Police said they have identified the family that owns the building. The documents of the building will be examined to ascertain who actually be booked in the case,” the police officer cited above said.

A 16-year-old relative of Mamta told media persons that she was near the building when she heard the sound of a loud thud. “A large portion of the balcony had collapsed and fallen on the cot on which my aunt and her son were seated. I raised the alarm. Some labourers working arrived and tried to remove the concrete debris. But it was too heavy. They also tried to lift it using a crane but that also malfunctioned. My aunt and cousin were rescued by firemen and labourers. But by that time both had died,” she said.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi said it was conducting an inquiry into the incident.

PWD minister Atishi said in a tweet, “An aid amount of ₹20 lakh will be given to the victim’s family by the Arvind Kejriwal government. The officials have been instructed to make arrangements for their lodging and food immediately...”.