New Delhi: A five-storey residential building in Delhi’s Satya Niketan area has collapsed, leaving several students and construction workers feared trapped under the debris.
The incident occurred at around 1:30pm local time in the densely populated south-west Delhi neighbourhood, which is home to a large student community. According to eyewitnesses cited by local media, as many as 50 people may have been inside the building, which housed students in a hostel known as Hostel Daze.
At least three people have been killed, and three others are in critical condition, according to local police. At least eight people have reportedly been rescued so far. Rescue teams have been working through the rubble to locate those still trapped. A member of the Delhi Legislative Assembly said at the scene that some students had managed to make phone calls from beneath the debris, raising hopes that more survivors could be found.
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…
— Rekha Gupta (@gupta_rekha) September 6, 2026
Construction work was reportedly underway in the basement of the building before the collapse. The shopkeeper claimed that while the upper portion of the building had been strengthened, the pillars supporting the lower section were weak. Construction workers involved in the basement work were also reportedly trapped when the building collapsed.
An adjacent building was also reported to have suffered a collapse. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the neighbouring building had been evacuated as a precautionary measure and that authorities were making every possible effort to rescue those trapped safely.
Delhi Police said the collapsed building was around 40 to 50 years old. Authorities are also searching for the building’s owner as investigations into the incident continue.
The National Students’ Union of India has called for a detailed investigation into the collapse and demanded that those responsible for any negligence be held accountable, stressing that the safety of students and residents must not be compromised.
Satya Niketan is a densely populated locality known for its numerous student hostels and proximity to Delhi University. Building collapses remain a recurring concern in the capital, with fire department figures reportedly recording more than 1,000 such incidents over the past three years.
Poor foundations, substandard construction materials and the involvement of unqualified workers have been identified among the common factors behind building collapses in Delhi. The latest incident has once again raised concerns over construction safety and structural inspections in densely populated parts of the city.
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