A catastrophic building collapse in a residential neighborhood of the Indian capital New Delhi has left at least one person dead and triggered an urgent, large-scale rescue operation, with dozens of students feared trapped beneath the rubble, multiple local and international outlets have confirmed.
The five-story building, known as Hostel Daze, crumbled at approximately 1:30 PM local time on Sunday in the Satya Niketan area of south-west Delhi, just a short distance from the main Delhi University campus. Eyewitness accounts shared with local media outlets suggest that up to 50 people were inside the structure when it collapsed, a number made higher by the fact that no university classes were held Sunday, leaving most student residents in their rooms.
As of the latest updates, six people have been pulled alive from the debris, while two survivors remain in critical condition, according to NDTV, which cited official statements from Delhi Police. A local legislative assembly member at the disaster site confirmed that several trapped students have managed to place emergency calls to rescuers from beneath the rubble. Eyewitnesses also report that a second adjacent building partially collapsed alongside the hostel, prompting local authorities to evacuate the adjacent structure as a precautionary measure, according to Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.
Gupta emphasized in a statement on-site that every available resource is being deployed to extract trapped survivors safely. Initial investigations into the cause of the collapse point to unauthorized and poorly executed construction work in the building’s basement. Delhi Police officials note the building was only 40 to 50 years old, far younger than many standing structures in the area, but a local shop owner told Indian news agency ANI that the leaseholder had recently carried out basement excavation work to expand usable space and boost rental income.
“They carried out work to strengthen the upper floors of the building, but left the supporting pillars in the lower section severely weakened,” the shop owner explained, adding that several construction workers carrying out the excavation are also among those missing and trapped. The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) has issued a formal demand for a full, transparent investigation into the incident, calling for any individual found responsible for safety negligence to be held legally accountable. “Negligence that endangers the lives of students and ordinary citizens will not be tolerated under any circumstances,” the union said. Delhi Police have confirmed they are currently searching for the building’s owner to question them as part of the ongoing investigation.