Delhi: Man killed, 4 injured after wall collapses at construction site in Safdarjung Enclave

New Delhi, Oct 9 (PTI) A 60-year-old man lost his life and four others were injured after a portion of a wall collapsed at an under-construction site in south Delhi's Safdarjung Enclave on Thursday evening, officials said.

The incident occurred around 6.15 pm in Safdarjung Enclave, when a wall caved in during excavation work for a basement. A PCR call was received reporting that several persons were trapped under the debris, a senior police officer said.

"Upon reaching the spot, it was found that a corner concrete pillar and adjoining soil had slipped during digging, causing the partial collapse of the structure. Labourers working at the site were buried under the debris," the officer added.

Police, along with fire brigade and disaster rescue teams, launched a joint operation and managed to pull out four injured workers, who were rushed to Sukhmani Hospital for treatment, officials said.

Two of the injured, who were in critical condition, were later referred to the AIIMS Trauma Centre, where one of them was declared brought dead. The deceased has been identified as a 60-year-old resident of Madangir in south Delhi, police said.

The injured are aged between 35 and 70 years and hail from Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh, Dausa in Rajasthan and Delhi's Sangam Vihar, officials added.

Rescue operations have been completed and the area has been secured. "Further legal action is being taken as per law," the officer said.

Yogesh Jha, a local, told PTI that the area had been unsafe for months. "This morning, the road was filled with construction material. I warned the workers that children use this road daily and that any accident could be dangerous," he said.

Jha claimed that residents had filed multiple complaints about the obstruction, but no corrective action was taken.

"We were told the Resident Welfare Association (RWA) would handle it, but nothing changed. The road remains blocked, and no safety rules are being followed. Today it happened to the labourers; tomorrow it could be schoolchildren. The school is barely 20 meters away," he added.

Another local, Himanshu Srivastava, stated that he arrived at the scene soon after the incident. "By the time I got there, several injured workers were being taken away in ambulances. The road was filled with police and rescue teams," he noted, adding that excavation work in the basement area had been ongoing for some time.

According to the Delhi Fire Services, a call regarding the incident was received at 6.09 pm, following which multiple fire tenders were rushed to the spot for rescue operations.

"Five persons were reported to be trapped when the wall of an under-construction basement caved in. Before our vehicles reached, one person was rescued by locals. The remaining four were rescued by our teams with the assistance of the Delhi Police," said the DFS officer.

The injured were rushed to the AIIMS Trauma Centre for treatment.

Officials said that construction work was underway in the basement when a portion of the wall suddenly collapsed, trapping the workers inside. PTI SSJ MPL MPL