A 60-year-old construction worker lost his life, while four others sustained injuries after a portion of a basement caved in at a house in Safdarjung Enclave, southwest Delhi, on Thursday evening. Police officials said the workers were engaged in setting up the basement when the soil shifted, causing a section of the structure to collapse. The incident occurred around 6 pm at B-5 Block, where a wall reportedly gave way during construction. Five labourers were trapped under the debris as their co-workers attempted to rescue them. Delhi Fire Services received an alert at 6:09 pm and immediately dispatched three fire tenders to the site.
The deceased was identified as Hari Mohan, a resident of Madangir. The injured—Pradeep (35), Chiku (43), Babulal (70), and Ashok (46)—were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment. Officials stated that all hailed from Delhi, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. A senior fire department officer said the workers were installing iron rods for the foundation when the soil suddenly gave way. Locals managed to pull one worker out, while others were rescued after an hour-long operation. One man was trapped under heavy soil, and rescuers had to cut through iron bars using a machine to free him. Residents claimed that nearly 22 labourers were present at the site when the accident took place.
DCP (Southwest) Amit Goel mentioned that police were informed about multiple workers being trapped, with reports of fatalities. Investigations revealed that the basement construction was underway when a corner pillar and the surrounding soil collapsed, leading to the tragedy. Police, Fire Services, and Disaster Rescue Teams jointly conducted the rescue, pulling out four workers from the rubble and shifting them to Sukhmani Hospital, AIIMS, and Safdarjung Hospital. Two critically injured workers were taken to AIIMS Trauma Centre, where one was declared dead. Authorities are now tracing the building owner. A local resident, Yogesh Jha, alleged that the contractor had blocked the road with iron bars and ignored safety regulations despite several complaints, calling the construction “careless and unsafe.”