One person was rescued from debris and hospitalised on Saturday after a building collapsed in Mustafabad earlier today, claiming four lives and with 112 people still trapped inside, officials said. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other agencies continued a search and rescue operation late into the day today. The four confirmed deceased include Chandni (23,), Danish (23,) Naved (17), and Reshma (38).Five individuals--Shahid (45), Rehana (38), Ahmed (45), Tanu (15), and Zeenat (58), remain admitted for treatment. Six others--Chand (25), Shan (4), Sanya (2), Neha (19), Alfez (20), and Aliya (17)--have been discharged after receiving medical care.
Also Read: Madhya Pradesh: School Teacher Caught Serving Alcohol To Students, Suspended After Video Goes Viral (Watch)
An official of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) highlighted the challenges of the rescue operation and said that the area is congested. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) NDRF Mohsen Shahedi told ANI, "According to information received from locals, around 12 people are still trapped. Our NDRF team and other agencies are engaged in rescue work. This is a congested area and we are facing difficulties in the movement of heavy machinery; we hope we will be able to save lives..."
Meanwhile, Delhi Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker Mohan Singh Bisht today announced that appropriate compensation will be provided to the family of the deceased. Bisht, an MLA from Mustafabad, told ANI that such incidents have "exposed" the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and claimed that he had warned about the possibility of an accident during his recent visit to the area.
After visiting the spot, he said, "Three months ago, when I won the elections, I was in this area. I had said at that time that this building could cause an accident. I have told the Delhi LG (VK Saxena) and MCD commissioner that action should be taken against the officials for their negligence". He alleged that many accident-prone buildings are in Mustafabad and said power companies are not supplying electricity to the poor.