‘The walls were cracking’: Student recalls condition of collapsed Delhi boys’ hostel

“The walls were cracking,” said Nitin Jamwal, a 19-year-old former resident of the boys’ paying guest hostel in Delhi’s Satya Niketan. He said the basement used to fill with water, the food was poor and each floor had two rooms.

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Everything here was bad here. The walls were cracking. The basement used to fill with water. Food was bad. There were two rooms on each floor.

The multi-storey structure collapsed on Sunday afternoon. At least one person was killed, while more than 40 students were feared trapped under the rubble at the time of reporting. At least seven students were rescued and admitted to nearby hospitals. Two were taken to the AIIMS trauma centre and remained in critical condition, the hospital said.

Some trapped students were reportedly calling people on their phones for help. BJP lawmaker Anil Sharma said teams remained in contact with those inside. Local residents recalled a sudden tremor before they rushed from their homes and saw that the building had collapsed.

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Rescue and emergency operations were being conducted on war footing.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta visited the site and said rescue and emergency operations were being conducted “on war footing.” The National Disaster Response Force, Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Police, the District Disaster Management Authority, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Centralised Accident and Trauma Services and Civil Defence were deployed. Gupta said an adjacent building had been evacuated as a precaution and ordered agencies to coordinate closely. Delhi minister Kapil Mishra also visited the site.

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We are even getting calls from those who are trapped inside. Teams are continuously in touch with those who are trapped inside; we pray to god that all people are safe.