Five killed, 8 injured in Delhi building collapse

Members of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other officials clear the rubble of a collapsed building alongside a residential building which was damaged by its collapse in New Delhi yesterday.Agencies/New DelhiRescuers in New Delhi yesterday plucked the body of a little girl from the ruins of a collapsed four-storey building, increasing the death toll to five. The body was discovered after workers in neon orange safety vests and hard hats used earth-moving equipment, shovels and bare hands to shift mangled heaps of steel and concrete from the building that caved in late Saturday. “The body of the small girl was pulled out from the debris a little while ago,” joint commissioner of police Dependra Pathak said, adding that eight others were injured in the incident. “We’ve got our fingers crossed and hope there are no more bodies in the debris,” he said, adding that rescue efforts would continue in the congested Vishnu Gardens neighbourhood of ramshackle residential blocks in western Delhi. Pathak said faulty drainage repair work in the area and rain had weakened the building, adding that the flouting of construction norms and “natural wear and tear” also contributed to the collapse. “These buildings are really old and built by local, unqualified guys without any proper checks,” leading to poor foundations and structural work, he said. The Delhi government has ordered an investigation and a detailed report from the local administration within seven days, while a police complaint has been registered against “unknown persons” for causing death by negligence. Delhi’s Public Works Department Minister Satyendra Jain announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs200,000 for the families of each of those killed and Rs50,000 each for those seriously injured.Municipal authorities said the permission granted to the builder was for only three floors and not five.“The top two floors in the building were built without permission, as the permission granted for the construction was only for three floors. In fact, the foundation of the building was also weak,” said an official of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC).