Delhi Building Collapse: Four children, two women killed; CM Kejriwal orders magisterial probe

Six people, including four children and two women, were killed after a five-storey building collapsed in northwest Delhi’s Ashok Vihar on Wednesday. The 20-year-old structure was inspected by a municipal team three weeks ago following complaints, the police said. 

According to the police, a team of the civic body had inspected the building around 20 days ago after receiving a complaint about the building being dangerous on August 16, 2017. The police have registered a case under IPC Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), punishable with a maximum jail term of 10 years, against the owner Dharmender, who had rented out the building in Ashok Vihar.

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Two teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were mobilised for rescue operations, its spokesperson said.There were 12 people inside the building when it collapsed.

The injured were rushed to Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital.A family lived on the second floor of the building. Two of the children, who were killed in the incident were siblings, Ashi, aged three, and Shaurya, aged two. Their mother, Seema, succumbed to injuries in the evening.

Two families were living on the third floor.The deceased woman, Munni, was living in one of the houses on the third floor. The second family living on that floor lost two children, Rajnesh, aged four, and Sumnesh, aged 12, the police said.

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The fourth floor was occupied by a couple -- Narottam and Nisha. Nisha is critical, the police added.Bimlesh, the father of Rajnesh and Sumnesh, said: "As soon as I left home and had barely walked a few metres, I heard a loud noise and when I turned, I saw the building collapse like a pack of cards.” 

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ordered a magisterial probe into a building collapse and announced Rs 5 lakh compensation to the families of the deceased.Kejriwal visited the injured at Deep Chand Bandhu Hospital and also visited the site of building collapse with officials.Kejriwal, attacking the BJP-led North Delhi Municipal Corporation, said MCD has the responsibility of a building's safety.

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A senior North Delhi Municipal Corporation official said the building was about 20 years old. Its structure was weak and in a deteriorated condition.  

(With PTI inputs)