Two days later, another body recovered from Old Delhi building collapse, toll rises to 3

The deceased has been identified as Pankaj Sharma (40), who was from Khagaria district in Bihar. (Express Photo: Amit Mehra)

The body of a third person was recovered by rescuers on Saturday from the debris of an under-construction building that collapsed in Old Delhi’s Chawri Bazaar on Thursday.

The deceased has been identified as Pankaj Sharma (40), who was from Khagaria district in Bihar.

With the recovery of his body, the total number of people rescued or recovered from the debris has risen to five. Of these, three died, while two others sustained injuries. Both injured persons have received medical treatment and are now stable, officials said.

All of the deceased were labourers working on construction in the building.

Teams from the Delhi Police, Fire Services, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) continue debris-clearing operations at the site. They are removing debris and searching for anyone who may still be trapped beneath the structure’s remains. The narrow lanes of the area have posed challenges for the operation, restricting the movement of heavy machinery and requiring teams to clear the rubble manually.

On Friday, the Delhi Police had arrested three contractors in connection with the collapse. The accused — Siraj, Tajuddin and Furkan — were apprehended from Sirohi village in Haryana’s Faridabad district. All three are residents of the Ajmeri Gate area.

A police officer said the collapse prima facie appeared to have been caused by the contractors beginning work on the building just seven days after laying the slab for the third floor. Ideally, construction work should not resume for at least 15 days after a new slab is laid.

Story continues below this ad

Police have registered a case under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Investigators are probing the circumstances surrounding the construction work and whether negligence or violations of building norms contributed to the collapse.

Sakshi Chand is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in New Delhi. With over a decade of... Read More