Satya Niketan building housing boys’ PG collapses; several students feared trapped

A five-storey building housing a boys’ PG collapsed in south Delhi's Satya Niketan area on Sunday (September 6) afternoon, reportedly trapping multiple people, including students, under the debris. The building was reportedly known as Hostel Daze.

The Delhi Fire Service reportedly received a distress call around 1.33 pm regarding a house collapse near the Shiv Mandir area in Satya Niketan, Moti Bagh. Eight fire tenders and multiple rescue teams of various departments have rushed to the spot.

Locals suspect that more than 15 people may be trapped under the rubble, but this figure has not been officially confirmed. The building was reportedly four-storied but there has been no official confirmation so far regarding the number of people trapped, rescued, or injured.

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Firefighters reportedly rescued three people from the rubble and rushed them to the AIIMS Trauma Centre. They are stated to be critical condition. An eyewitness told news agency ANI that a few bodies have been found though there is no official confirmation on any deaths yet.

Student accommodation hub

Satya Niketan is a heavily populated locality that serves as a major hub for student accommodations and hostels due to its close proximity to colleges in Delhi University’s South Campus. Many have raised concerns regarding student safety following the incident.

“This is a deeply tragic incident. Students come here from various places to study and stay in PG accommodation in this building. While it is difficult to state the exact number, we know for certain that students are trapped inside. Two students have already been rescued by the NDRF, MCD. Some students are even making calls from within, and it appears there are still others trapped inside, so rescue efforts are ongoing,” BJP MLA Anil Sharma told news agency ANI.

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“The chief minister has dispatched a full team here. The entire government is deeply concerned and focused on ensuring the students are rescued—that is our primary objective,” he added.

Adjacent building vacated

Delhi CM Rekha Gupta tweeted, “Deeply concerned by the building collapse incident at Satya Niketan, RK Puram. Teams from DDMA, NDRF, Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Police, MCD, CATS and Civil Defence are carrying out rescue operations on a war footing. The adjacent building has been vacated as a precautionary measure. Every possible effort is being made to safely rescue those trapped and provide immediate assistance to the affected families….”

Eight fire tenders, alongside Delhi Police and emergency personnel, are on site. Police teams have cordoned off the area as emergency personnel carry out a search-and-rescue operation. The collapse reportedly followed recent heavy rainfall in the national capital. As of now, the Delhi Police have not issued a statement regarding the incident or the circumstances that led to the collapse.

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While police are repeatedly advising locals and onlookers to stay away from the site, eyewitnesses said they immediately joined the rescue efforts using their bare hands and available equipment to remove debris in search of individuals trapped underneath. Visuals from the site showed a leg trapped under the debris, and fire officials are removing the rubble to rescue the person.

Witness claims bodies found

An eyewitness told ANI, “I have a shop nearby. We were sitting inside it when we suddenly heard a rumble, like that of an earthquake. We rushed out immediately; there was a lot of smoke and dust here. The entire building had collapsed. Some bodies were found, and they also rescued four children who were still breathing.”

“The sound of human voices is still coming from within the rubble—children are crying out, ‘Save us, save us’... There are at least 25–30 children. There was a boys’ PG and a girls’ PG here nearby,” the witness added.

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He claimed a basement was being constructed when the building collapsed. “They had reinforced the upper structure, but the pillars at the bottom were weak. They were renovating the building—specifically to create a rental space on the ground floor—and that caused the collapse. Labourers were working down below and got buried,” he claimed.

(With agency inputs)