NEW DELHI — Rescue crews pulled at least 12 people from under the rubble, while six people were injured in the incident. At least two people were hospitalized in critical condition as emergency teams worked to reach those still buried.

Police, firefighters, and India’s disaster response agency searched the site for a second day on Monday. Earthmovers cleared debris and sniffer dogs worked the site to help rescuers reach those trapped inside.

Fire officer Abhilash Malik said about 30 to 40 people remained trapped in the rubble. Lawmaker Anil Sharma said several trapped people were making phone calls for help while rescuers remained in contact with them.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said about 80% of the debris had been cleared and only rubble from the basement remained. She said preliminary findings suggest water accumulation in the basement and ongoing repair work may have caused the collapse.

Residents said the building was at least 55 years old and had been under renovation for months before reopening to tenants in August despite unfinished work. Police stated the building was approximately 40-50 years old, comprised a basement and five upper floors, and had rooms to accommodate around 40 people.

Gupta ordered the registration of an FIR against the building owner, Hariram, and others at the South Campus police station. Authorities suspended at least five municipal employees responsible for building safety oversight in the area.

Why It Matters

The collapse shows systemic issues of unregulated vertical expansion and lack of compliance with building bylaws in student accommodation hubs. The Delhi High Court ordered an audit of all PG hostels in Delhi following the collapse, citing concerns about these violations which have been a recurring issue in Satya Niketan since the 1970s.

Satya Niketan was established as a resettlement colony in the 1970s by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and was originally designed for low-rise housing for displaced families. Building norms restricted construction to ground and first floors due to its proximity to the airport, but the area transformed into a student accommodation hub after the 1973 establishment of Delhi University's South Campus. In 2012, the Delhi government allowed residents of 45 resettlement colonies, including Satya Niketan, to acquire freehold rights, enabling property division and commercialization which experts link to increased structural risks.

Timeline

On September 6, 2026, a five-story building housing a boys’ hostel collapsed in Satya Niketan, New Delhi, on Sunday. Six people were injured in the incident on that same day.

Gupta said the government will draft a policy requiring periodic structural audits and safety certificates for buildings used by the public, including student accommodations, nursing homes, and schools. She also said about 80% of the debris had been cleared and only rubble from the basement remained. The death toll from the building collapse rose to seven by Monday.

What's New

Additional reporting indicates that Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta ordered a magisterial inquiry into the Satya Niketan boys’ PG building collapse and directed that an FIR be filed against the building owner, following an on-site review and preliminary assessment. Historical context shows that a three-storey building in Satya Niketan collapsed during renovation work on April 25, 2022, killing two labourers and injuring four others, and that in 2022, a building under renovation in Satya Niketan collapsed, killing two laborers, showing a prior incident of structural failure in the area linked to illegal construction and renovation work.

Further background reveals that Satya Niketan, established as a resettlement colony in the 1970s by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), was originally designed for low-rise housing for displaced families, with building norms restricting construction to ground and first floors due to its proximity to the airport. The Delhi High Court ordered an audit of all PG hostels in Delhi following the collapse, citing concerns about unregulated vertical expansion and lack of compliance with building bylaws, which has been a recurring issue in Satya Niketan since the 1970s. The court directed the MCD to conduct an inquiry at the highest level to find out whether the building which collapsed was constructed with valid permission and scheduled the matter to be heard on September 25. Satya Niketan's transformation into a student accommodation hub began after the 1973 establishment of Delhi University's South Campus, leading to unauthorized vertical expansions and conversions of residential buildings into PGs, despite DDA's original low-rise planning restrictions.