Four Dead, 14 Saved in Fatal Building Collapse in Delhi’s Mustafabad

DELHI, APRIL 19, 2025 — A tragic building collapse in northeast Delhi’s Shakti Vihar locality in the early hours of Saturday killed four individuals and trapped several others under the rubble, officials said. The accident took place at around 3:02 AM, and rescue efforts were immediately initiated to rescue the people stuck under the debris.

At least 22 individuals were said to have been trapped in the four-storey residential building, which collapsed abruptly, leading to panic and distress among the residents and the community at large. 14 individuals have so far been rescued, with four confirmed dead, as per the latest reports from Delhi Police.

Rescue Operations in Full Swing

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescue teams, Delhi Fire Services (DFS), and ambulance services were immediately deployed to the site of the collapse. Two NDRF teams and fire service units are working day and night in the operation, according to Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (North East) Sandeep Lama.

“The pancake collapse — a highly hazardous type of building collapse — has made it very difficult for rescue operations,” said NDRF DIG Mohsen Shahidi. This kind of collapse creates little room for survivors, and the possibility of rescuing trapped victims is extremely low. In spite of the difficulty, rescue teams are optimistic about saving lives.

Tehsin, who owns the building, and his family were residing on the ground floor, with tenants on other floors. Police believe that under-construction work on the ground floor could be the reason for the collapse.

Impact and Investigation

Among the rescued people, 10 have been taken to hospital and their condition is serious to stable. Emergency care is being done by medical staff at GTB Hospital, where the four dead bodies were taken. Heavy equipment is being taken cautiously to lift debris because space is limited due to the locality being highly congested.

The collapse has been in the spotlight of political leaders, with Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta referring to the collapse as “deeply saddening.” She has directed a full inquiry into the incident and assured that strict action would be taken against anyone who is found guilty.

“The incident is unfortunate, and I provide my condolences to the families that lost their relatives,” CM Gupta said in a statement. AAP supremo and former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal also reacted to the tragic incident and asked for complete cooperation in the current rescue operations.

A Tight-Knit Community Mourns

The people have been left traumatised by the event, with the locality being highly populated and having people who know one another. Rescue and police officers still scavenge the rubble to find additional survivors.

The investigators have stated that construction on the ground floor could have caused the building to destabilize. Authorities are still trying to ascertain the precise cause, and an inquiry has already begun.

Political Reactions

BJP MP Khandelwal also condemned the incident and demanded immediate action against the perpetrators of the collapse, while calling on the Delhi government to take measures so that incidents like these do not happen again in the future.

Local authorities are making sure that all resources are provided to save lives and give medical care to injured people as the rescue operation is underway. The government has assured full cooperation to the affected families.

This devastating failure brings into sharp relief the loopholes in construction practices and building safety. The government is facing tremendous pressure as it seeks to find the cause and impose accountability.