Death toll climbs to 3 in Rohini building collapse

The death toll rose to three on Thursday after rescuers in an overnight operation pulled out two more bodies from the rubble of a four-storey under-construction building that collapsed in north-west Delhi’s Rohini Sector 16 on Wednesday.

According to the police, the deceased have been identified as Ram Dua, 62, husband of building owner Manju Dua; and Kafe Mohammad alias Nurul, 24, a worker at the site. On Wednesday, Ram Kishan, 42, a biker who was passing through the area when the building collapsed, died after coming under debris.

The police have registered an FIR in connection with the incident against unknown persons under Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. “The rescue operation is almost over. Removal of debris is still going on. The cause of the collapse is under investigation,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Rohini) Shashank Jaiswal.

The building was under construction for the past one year and nearing completion, officials said. “As the work was almost over, the number of workers at the site was fewer than usual,” an officer said.

Comprised two flats

The building comprised two Delhi Development Authority flats measuring 26 sq. metres each, an official said. “The family had been staying at the site for the past 50 years. Over a year ago, they decided to raze the house and rebuild it from scratch. Ram Dua was supervising the construction,” the official said.

During the day, family members of the deceased waited outside the Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital’s mortuary for the bodies to be handed over to them after the post-mortem.

Kafe’s family came all the way from Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich. Safiya Begum said her son was the eldest of five siblings. “We learned about the incident at 1.30 a.m. when the police called. We rushed to Delhi,” she said. Her husband, Shaan Mohammad, is a daily wage worker.

The family said Kafe had joined work at the site only two days ago. His cousin, Saddam alias Ravi, 32, was rescued on Wednesday. “At the time of the collapse, Saddam and Kafe were working on the second floor,” a relative said.

Kishan’s wife Renu held back tears as she recollected the events of the previous day. “He had lunch and left, only to never come back again,” she said.

Ms. Renu said her brother-in-law did not know how to break the news to her and lied that her mother-in-law was injured in the incident. “When I reached the spot, I realised it was my husband,” she said.

Relatives and friends recalled Ram Dua as a lively individual who was fond of making reels. They said in the last reel he posted on Instagram, he said: “Ameer hun, amar nahi, mujhe bhi marna hoga (I am rich, not immortal. I will also die).”