Building collapses in South Delhi, 5 dead; several feared trapped

In the national capital- Delhi, a five decade old five-storey building housing a boys' hostel collapsed in a congested bylane in Satya Niketan near Delhi University's South Campus on Sunday afternoon, leaving 5 students dead and many trapped, officials said. Locals claimed that around 40 to 50 people were still trapped under the debris of the building, which comprised a basement and five upper floors.Rescue efforts are underway at the site with teams from DDMA, NDRF, Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Police, MCD, CTS and Civil Defence involved in the operation on a "war footing," according to chief minister Rekha Gupta.
Police said that a PCR call regarding the incident was received at South Campus Police Station at around 1:34pm. Repair work was underway in the basement of the structure, which was used as a paying guest (PG) accommodation, when it collapsed, a senior officer said. The area is marked by narrow, congested bylanes lined with eateries and PG accommodations catering mainly to students. An officer said that the building was known as 'Hostel Daze' and its owner is based in Gurugram.
The densely packed buildings and heavy student presence often leave little room for movement, with locals saying most of the students staying in the locality were from Keralam, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and study at colleges across the road. An eyewitness said the tragedy could have been much worse had it occurred on a working day, as many students had returned home for the weekend. "Very few were here," he said. Delhi has witnessed incessant rain since Friday.