Father, son die after building slabs collapse in Delhi's Harsh Vihar

New Delhi, Oct 26
A 60-year-old man and his 33-year-old son died after two slabs of a building collapsed at Milan Garden in the Harsh Vihar area of Northeast Delhi, officials said on Monday.

The deceased have been identified as Chanderpal, 60, son of the late Nanak Chand, and his son Vijay Kumar, 33, residents of Gali No. 14 in Harsh Vihar.

According to officials, the two men were trapped under the debris after the building collapsed on Sunday evening.

During the overnight rescue operation, both were pulled out from beneath the rubble and rushed to Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital, where doctors declared them brought dead.

Two fire brigade vehicles, two ambulances and a crane were deployed at the site to assist in the rescue operation. Civil Defence volunteers and a team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) also reached the spot.

Rescue teams cleared the debris and searched the collapsed structure to locate those trapped underneath. The operation continued overnight as emergency personnel worked to remove the rubble.

The incident occurred when a new floor was being constructed above an old house. During the construction work, a portion of the existing roof reportedly gave way, causing the slab above it to collapse as well.

The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) had earlier said that it received information about the incident at 6.40 p.m. on Sunday, following which two fire tenders were dispatched to the spot.

Delhi Cabinet Ministers Kapil Mishra and Ashish Sood also visited the site to assess the situation.

Officials said the rescue operation was still underway and that legal action under the relevant provisions of law was being initiated.

Further investigation into the incident is in progress to ascertain the circumstances that led to the collapse.

The incident has raised concerns over safety during construction work, with authorities investigating the cause of the collapse.

Earlier in October, a portion of a multi-storied building collapsed in north Delhi's Seemapuri area, with many feared trapped under the debris, officials said.

The Delhi Fire Service had sent two fire vehicles to the spot.