The death toll in the Seemapuri building collapse in east Delhi rose to five on October 8 after rescuers recovered two more bodies from the debris, while teams from multiple agencies continued searching the site for survivors and clearing the remains of the four-storey structure.
The two latest victims were identified as Nusrat, also known as Guria, and Hajra Bibi, an official said. The victims recovered earlier included a 12-year-old girl, 21-year-old Gulafsa, who was around four months pregnant, and a child aged approximately one-and-a-half years.
Eight people injured in the collapse were rescued and shifted to Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital in Tahirpur for treatment. The condition of the injured was not provided in the available official account.
The building, located near Idgah Machhli Mandi in Seemapuri, collapsed on the afternoon of October 7. Rescue operations involve the 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.
Officials said the structure had developed cracks after tremors linked to an earthquake in Uttarakhand on the evening of October 6. However, they also said that the exact cause of the collapse has not yet been ascertained. The reported tremor connection therefore remains part of the preliminary account of the incident rather than a confirmed finding on structural failure.
The continuing operation involves searching the debris and removing material from the collapse site. The incident has brought together police, fire, disaster-response and civic agencies, as well as the city’s shelter board, in an ongoing emergency response in one of east Delhi’s densely populated areas.
The authorities have not announced a final assessment of the building’s structural condition before the collapse, nor have they released details of any inquiry or inspection into the incident. Rescue teams are expected to continue their search and debris-clearing work at the site as the response proceeds.
