Tragedy strikes Mustafabad: Building collapses, lives lost

It was a harrowing experience for neighbours living next to the ill-fated building as some of the residents said it felt as it an earthquake had hit them. Even before they could comprehend as to what was happening, everything was covered in dust, shaken survivors recounted. “It felt like an earthquake. The floor shook beneath us and before we could understand anything, everything was covered in dust,” said Shiv Vihar local Ryan who lives next to the building that collapsed on Saturday morning.

Around 3 am, a four-storey residential building in Gali No. 1, Mustafabad, came crashing down like a stack of cards, trapping several people under the rubble.  While some have been rescued alive, others were not so fortunate. So far, around 11 people have been pulled out alive by rescue teams, who continue to work at the site, said an official. Four people have been declared dead while many remain trapped as rescue operations continue. “We thought maybe something hit our house but when we looked out, the entire building next to us had turned to rubble,” Ryan said. Shahzad Ahmad lost two nephews, Danish and Naveed, who stayed in a third-floor house with their parents — Ahmad's sister and brother-in-law. “Both my nephews were the breadwinners of the family. They ran the entire household. Now they are gone,” he said. His sister and brother-in-law are in critical condition. “I got a call around 4 am and rushed to the site as soon as I heard,” he said.  Sonu Abbas, another resident, said he lost his sister whose family was living on the fourth floor of the building. He said that she was still alive when she was taken out of the rubble.

“She got up, saw that her husband and children were safe, and helped them out of the rubble,” he said. Only after that she collapsed and passed away,” Abbas said.

Both her children have injuries while her husband remains in critical condition, he added. Some residents claimed that the ongoing construction work on the ground floor where a shop was reportedly being built might have triggered the collapse.

They also expressed concern about the structural condition of nearby buildings. There are around four to five buildings in a similarly fragile state,” said Salim Ali.

“Wastewater from the sewer has been seeping into the walls of the buildings for years and over time, the moisture has weakened the structure, causing the walls to absorb water and develop cracks,” Ali claimed.

CCTV in an adjacent alley has captured the moment the building collapsed.  The footage showed a sudden spark and a thick cloud of dust filling the alley, preventing any further recording. Divisional Fire Officer Rajendra Atwal said they received the call about the collapse around 2:50 am. When the fire officials reached there, they found the entire building had collapsed and some were trapped, he said.

An official from the NDRF described it as a “pancake collapse” (in which a structure collapses vertically) and said the chances of survival are minimal. But we are clearing the debris and thoroughly checking for any life that can be saved, said the official. Space constraints in the congested area are limiting the use of heavy machines and posing a challenge to the rescue operation, he added.