Three students confirmed dead in five-storey hostel collapse incident in Delhi
Published 6 September 2026, 14:23 IST
Updated 1 hour ago
Reading Time: 7 minutes
A five-storey PG building collapsed in Satya Niketan Market area of Delhi on Sunday afternoon, in which many people are feared trapped.
Delhi's Additional DCP Abhimanyu Poswal told reporters that "So far, 9 children have been taken out and sent to the hospital. Unfortunately, three have died."
He said, "Information about the owner of the building is being ascertained. We have all the information and he will be arrested soon. A case of negligence will be registered."
Poswal said, "One of the rescued children said that there were 15-16 children inside, although there is no confirmed information yet. Relief and rescue operations are still going on."
On the other hand, NDRF IG NS Bundela said, "People are being evacuated from the upper floors of the five-storey building. It is very important to safely evacuate those who are alive. Therefore, this operation will take some time."
Delhi Police issued a statement saying, "Local inquiry revealed that it was a 40-50 year old building, which had a basement and five upper floors. It was being used as a PG hostel. At the time of the incident, renovation work was going on in the basement."
The accident happened near Shiv Temple located in Moti Bagh-2. Eyewitnesses told BBC correspondent Shubh Rana that mostly students live in this area and PGs run in many buildings.
On behalf of Delhi government, Centralized Accident and Trauma Services (CATS) nodal officer Balraj Singh told news agency ANI that it is being told that there is a possibility of 20 to 30 casualties. 17 ambulances have been deployed at the spot."
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BJP MLA Anil Sharma, who reached the spot shortly after the incident, said, "Some students are also calling from inside and it seems that some more people are still trapped inside."
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta have expressed condolences and said to provide all possible help in relief and rescue operations.
Whereas Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, MP Chandrashekhar Azad, MP Pappu Yadav, former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and many Aam Aadmi Party leaders have reacted and demanded action against those responsible.
What did the eyewitnesses say?
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According to news agency ANI, Delhi Fire Department received information about the building collapse at around 1.30 pm. As soon as the information was received, fire brigade teams reached the spot and started relief and rescue operations.
When the building collapsed, a loud explosion was heard in the area.
An eyewitness student sitting in a nearby shop told news agency ANI that everyone ran outside as soon as they heard the sound of the explosion.
He said, “Suddenly a sound like an earthquake was heard. We immediately ran outside. There was a lot of smoke and dust here. The entire building had collapsed."
“Sounds are still coming from inside the debris. Children are shouting, 'Save us, save us!'... There are at least 25-30 children. There was a PG for boys and girls nearby."
That student told that renovation work was going on in the basement of this building.
“These buildings have been given on a 100-year lease. To increase their income, they were building a basement below. They strengthened the upper building, but the pillars below were weak. Because of which that building collapsed."
That student said, "Many laborers were working in the basement, all of them are buried under pressure. Also, there were street vendors selling fruits etc. in front of the building, they have also been buried."
Another eyewitness student told ANI, “This is a building named ‘Hostel Days’. Another PG building right next to it has also collapsed. 'Hostel Days' is a PG made for boys. It was a five-storey building. The building adjacent to it has also collapsed. Two more buildings next to it were shaking. PG is available in these also. Their entrances have been blocked by debris."
“All the children who were inside their rooms were buried under the debris. Fire and rescue teams have been working on the spot for about 15-20 minutes since the building collapsed. Many children are being dragged out somehow."
'The building collapsed due to digging in the basement'
After the incident, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta reached the spot. He said that excavation was going on in the basement of the building, due to which the pillars shook and the building collapsed.
CM Rekha Gupta told the media, "11 people have been rescued. The most important thing for us is to save the lives of those children who are probably still trapped inside. Whoever is responsible for this accident, whether it is the owner of the building or any official, action will be taken against him."
Former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi wrote on Instagram, "The news of the building collapse in Satya Niketan, Moti Bagh, Delhi is very sad and worrying. The possibility of many people including students being buried under the debris is very disturbing."
He has demanded from the government to conduct a high-level investigation into this accident and ensure strict action against those responsible for negligence.
Congress' student organization NSUI has expressed apprehension that many students of Delhi University may be buried under the debris of the building. NSUI wrote in a post on X, "Every student and person should be evacuated safely and this incident should be impartially investigated and those responsible should be held accountable."
What did the leaders including PM Modi say
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah expressed grief over the accident and said that the rescue operation is going on.
A statement from PM Modi has been issued on the PMO's
He wrote in
Home Minister Amit Shah wrote, "The local administration and NDRF teams are carrying out rescue operations in coordination. All necessary medical aid is being given to the injured. I pray for the speedy recovery of all the injured."
Rahul Gandhi wrote on social media platform
Abhijeet Deepke accused of negligence
Soon after the incident, Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijit Deepke shared a video on social media regarding relief and rescue.
He wrote, "Students are buried under the debris and local people are trying to save people with their hands. Not a single person from the administration is visible. When every minute is precious to save lives, where is the administration? How long will all this continue?"
Abhijit Deepke wrote in another post, "Yesterday the PM visited DU, gave a political speech and also used the word 'mindless Naxal', while he talked very little about the poor condition of our education system. Today a hostel building has collapsed in the South Campus and it is feared that students may be trapped under the debris. The number of people who have lost their lives is not known yet."
"For how long will the students of this country have to pay the price of poor system and negligence? Due to lack of care and help in tribal areas, tribal students are losing their lives and students studying in the country's capital are also not safe."
MP Chandrashekhar Azad wrote on Twitter, "There should be an impartial investigation into the accident and it should be found out whether the rules related to security check and permission of this building operated as a hostel were followed or not."
Aam Aadmi Party leader and former minister in the Delhi government, Saurabh Bhardwaj, while sharing a video on his
"The transfer rate of executive engineer in the building department of MCD is Rs 1.25 crore. So this is not going to stop. This is the same story as the building collapse in Saket. Crores of rupees will once again be recovered from businessmen, gyms, hotels and hospitals in the name of audit. Nothing will change."
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