A four-storey building collapsed early Saturday morning in northeast Delhi's Welcome area, killing six members of a family, including a two-year-old girl, and injuring at least eight others, officials said. The deceased include the building owner Abdul Matloob (50), his wife Rabia (46), sons Javed (23) and Abdulla (15), daughter Zubia (27), and granddaughter Fozia (2). Their bodies were recovered from the debris and taken to GTB Hospital.
Family devastated in seconds
The injured include Matloob’s sons Parvez (32) and Naved (19), Parvez's wife Siza (21), and their one-year-old son Ahmad. Four residents of the building opposite—Govind (60), his wife Deepa (56), and relatives Ravi (27) and Jyoti (27)—also sustained injuries after parts of the collapsed structure struck their home.
Naseem Ahmed, a family friend, said the victims had only recently moved into the building after a fire gutted their previous home in Gautampuri earlier this year. The family had returned from Jaipur just a day before the tragedy, after visiting Matloob’s youngest daughter, who had recently married. “They escaped the fire earlier this year, but lost everything. This is heartbreaking,” said Ahmed.
Residents rushed to help
The collapse occurred around 7:04 am, as many locals were out for morning walks. Several of them acted as first responders, attempting to pull survivors from the rubble with their bare hands before emergency services arrived.
Seven fire tenders and rescue teams, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), were deployed for the operation. The area around Gali No. 5 in Janta Colony near Idgah Road remained cordoned off due to narrow lanes and the risk of further structural instability.
Delhi Fire Service chief Atul Garg confirmed that three storeys of the building had collapsed and that operations continued into the day.
‘Could have been worse’: Anganwadi shut at the time
The ground floor of the building housed an anganwadi centre, which fortunately was closed at the time. Locals noted that around 25 children typically attend the centre daily, and expressed relief that the collapse did not occur during its operating hours. “Several kids from the neighbourhood come there daily,” said Zeeshan, a friend of the deceased.
Investigation underway
Additional DCP (Northeast) Sandeep Lamba confirmed that legal proceedings have been initiated. The cause of the collapse is yet to be determined.
Northeast Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari described the incident as "tragic" and urged residents to avoid entering congested lanes during rescue efforts. “Senior officials are on site. We are monitoring the situation closely,” Tiwari posted on X.
A case has been registered, and police said further investigation is underway to determine if any structural violations were involved.
(With PTI inputs)
