The death toll in the Seemapuri building collapse in northeast Delhi has risen to five after rescue teams recovered two more bodies from the debris on Thursday, while eight injured people remain under treatment at Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital in Tahirpur.
The four-storey building collapsed near Eidgah Machhli Mandi in Seemapuri on Wednesday afternoon. Delhi Police, Delhi Fire Services, the National Disaster Response Force, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board sent teams to the site after the incident.
Officials identified the two latest victims as Nusrat, also known as Guriya, and Hazra Bibi. Three bodies had been recovered earlier, including those of a 12-year-old girl, 21-year-old Gulfasa and a child aged about one and a half years. Officials said Gulfasa was approximately four months pregnant.
Eight people were pulled alive from the debris and taken to Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital for treatment. The condition of the injured was not provided in the report. Rescue teams continued clearing the rubble with heavy machinery on Thursday to determine whether anyone else remained trapped beneath the collapsed structure.
The collapse has also raised questions about the building’s condition before it failed. According to officials cited in the report, cracks appeared in the building after earthquake tremors were felt in Uttarakhand on Tuesday evening. The building collapsed the following afternoon. Authorities have not yet confirmed that the tremors caused the collapse and are examining whether there was a connection between the seismic activity, the reported cracks and the structural failure.
The presence of several agencies at the site reflects the different responsibilities involved in a building emergency: police and fire services manage immediate rescue and public safety, the NDRF supports specialised search operations, the DDMA coordinates disaster response, and civic and shelter agencies address local administration and affected residents. However, the immediate operation does not by itself establish whether the building had structural defects, unauthorised alterations or other safety issues before the collapse.
Officials said the search would continue until the debris was fully examined. The precise cause of the collapse and the condition of the building before the incident are expected to become clearer after the rescue operation is completed.
