Delhi’s Satya Niketan collapse leads to seven death, Owner detained

IBNS-CMEDIA: Police have detained the owner of the hostel building that collapsed in Delhi’s Satya Niketan, killing seven people, media reports said.

Following an extensive manhunt, Hariram Gupta was detained from Bhiwadi near Gurugram, reports said.

The area turned into a chaotic scene on Sunday after the building collapsed, prompting authorities to launch a massive search and rescue operation amid fears that people could be trapped under the debris.

The structure, which was around 50 years old, stood on a 55-square-yard plot in a resettlement colony, a senior Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) official told India Today.

The building was a G+4 structure, although the original permission was reportedly granted only for a G+1 building, the official added.

Ten injured people were rushed to the AIIMS Trauma Centre following the collapse.

Two teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), comprising around 70 personnel and supported by a canine squad, are conducting search and rescue operations at the site.

Personnel from the Delhi Disaster Management Authority, Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Police, MCD, Centralised Accident and Trauma Services (CATS) and Civil Defence, along with local residents, have also joined the rescue operation.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident.