Two killed and 15 feared trapped as three-storey building collapses in Delhi's Chawri Bazaar
A three-storey building under construction collapsed near Chawri Bazaar Metro station in Old Delhi on Thursday morning, killing at least two people, with rescue teams searching the rubble for others feared trapped.
At least two people were killed and several more are feared trapped after a three-storey building under construction collapsed in Old Delhi's Chawri Bazaar area on Thursday morning, triggering a major rescue operation in one of the capital's busiest market districts.
The collapse took place in Gali Sitara, in the Sheesh Mahal locality near the Chawri Bazaar Metro station in Chandni Chowk, at around 9.50am local time. Delhi Fire Services said it received the first call from the Paiwalan area at about that time, and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was soon on the scene alongside Delhi Police, fire crews and civic agencies.
Rescue teams have recovered two bodies from the debris. The identities of those who died had not been established by Thursday afternoon, and police said four people had been taken to hospital by local residents before the fire service teams arrived. One person was confirmed injured, according to Delhi Police.
A Delhi Fire Services official told the Press Trust of India that at least 15 people were feared trapped under the rubble. "Several have been injured. We received a call at 9.50 am. Teams from NDMC, Delhi Police, DFS and MCD are involved in the rescue operation," the official said.
Six fire units, including water tenders, a quick response vehicle and an incident response team, were deployed to the site. NDRF personnel joined the search, working through the debris in the narrow lanes around the building, where the cramped layout of Old Delhi makes access difficult for heavy equipment.
Eyewitnesses described being woken by the sound of the collapse. Local resident Mohd Nayeem told reporters that it happened at around 9am or 9.30am, when people in the area were still asleep. "Three or four lintels had already been cast, and they all collapsed at once," he said, adding that the building had been under construction for the last three to four months.
The cause of the collapse has not yet been established, and officials have not confirmed the exact number of people trapped or the condition of the structure. Authorities said the building was a portion of a three-storey structure under construction, and an investigation into how it came down is expected once the rescue operation is complete.
The incident has already drawn a political response. Aam Aadmi Party leader Saurabh Bharadwaj questioned the Delhi government over building safety audits and alleged corruption in enforcement by civic departments, pointing to the collapse as the latest in a series of structural accidents in the capital.
Chawri Bazaar is one of Old Delhi's oldest and most crowded wholesale markets, and the collapse came during the busy festive shopping season, when footfall in the surrounding streets is at its highest. The area around the site was cordoned off as rescue teams continued their work and traffic in the locality was disrupted.
Delhi has seen a series of building collapses in recent years, often involving ageing or unauthorised structures and construction work in densely packed neighbourhoods, where oversight is difficult and the consequences of a failure are magnified by the crowds and narrow streets.
For now, the focus remains on the rescue. Teams are continuing to search the debris for survivors, and officials have said further details will follow as the operation progresses. The death toll may change as more of the rubble is cleared and the trapped are accounted for.
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