At least six people are now confirmed dead in a residential building collapse in the Indian capital, Delhi, with more students still feared trapped inside.
Eyewitnesses told local media that two-to-four dozen people were inside the five-storey building in the Satya Niketan neighbourhood of south-west Delhi when it came down around 13:30 local time (08:00 GMT) on Sunday.
Aiims hospital confirmed the deaths in a statement on Monday. Six others, who were rescued and brought to the hospital, are receiving treatment.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said "accumulation of water, combined with ongoing repair work in the basement" of the building, Hostel Daze, caused it to collapse.
Officials haven't confirmed how many people are still believed to be under the rubble.
On Monday morning, Gupta said "approximately 80% of the debris had been cleared" from the building, which sits a short distance from a Delhi University college and "only the rubble from the basement remains".
"So far, 12 people have been recovered; six have died, while the other six are in stable condition. We are in touch with all their parents and are making every effort to ensure they face no difficulties. The children are receiving proper medical treatment," she added.
Many of the students staying in the building were thought to be in their rooms at the time of the collapse as there were no lessons on Sunday.
A local legislative assembly member said at the scene that some of the trapped students had been making calls from under the rubble.
An eyewitness who was at his shop nearby when the tragedy struck told news agency ANI that the building collapse sounded "like the rumble of an earthquake".
"We rushed out immediately; there was a lot of smoke and dust here. The entire building had collapsed. Some bodies were recovered, and they also rescued four students who were still breathing."
He said he could hear students crying out from under the rubble saying "save us, save us!"
Gupta said an adjacent building had been evacuated "as a precautionary measure" - and local media reports say it would be demolished on Monday.
"Every possible effort is being made to safely rescue those trapped," she added.
Delhi Police said the building had only been 40 or 50 years old.
The owner of a nearby shop told ANI that it had been under a 100-year lease and that the leaseholder had undertaken excavation work in the basement to expand the hostel and increase their income.
A civic official said they were trying to ascertain whether any digging or structural work was carried out in the building recently, Times of India reported.
"Given the incessant rain, we are examining the possibility of seepage weakening the structure. Repair or other work could also have contributed to the collapse. At this stage, however, it is difficult to establish the exact cause," he said.
Police have registered a case against the owner of the building and are searching for him.
The National Students' Union of India called on the government to investigate the cause of the collapse and hold anyone found responsible to account.
"Negligence with the safety of students and common people will not be tolerated at any cost," it said.
Satya Niketan is a densely populated area which houses a large student population, with a number of hostels in the neighbourhood.
The area is close to Delhi University's South Campus and many students who come from outside Delhi live are forced to live in cheap private hostels and paying-guest (PG) accommodations due to a lack of hostel facilities on campus.
"There are 75 students in Sociology Honours class, but only two get a seat in the college hostel. All other students have to live here," Sawai Sharma, a student of Venkateswara College, told BBC News Hindi.
Sharma, who often visited a friend who lived in the building and narrowly escaped the accident, said a bed in the building cost 18,000 rupees ($190: £140) a month, making it affordable for students.
Another student, Shivam Yadav, said a friend of his lived in the building and was in his room at the time of the accident.
"He was on the third floor at the time of the accident. He has been rescued and sent to hospital."
Yadav said that most of the buildings in Satya Niketan are "overloaded".
"All the students from the five colleges in the South Campus live in Satya Niketan. And the buildings are in a dilapidated condition. No inspections are conducted. There are no rules or guidelines here."
Building collapses are relatively common in Delhi, with more than a thousand recorded in the past three years causing dozens of deaths, according to fire department figures.
Poor foundations, inadequate materials and unqualified construction workers were among the common reasons for collapses.
Eleven people, including three children, were reportedly killed last April when a residential building collapsed in north-eastern Delhi.
In 2024, three students drowned after getting trapped in the flooded basement of an exam coaching centre in capital Delhi, sparking anger and protests.
