5 die as wall of under-construction godown collapses in Delhi's Alipur

I pray that those who are injured recover at the earliest, Modi was quoted as saying in a tweet by the Prime Ministers Office PMO.Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said he was monitoring the relief work.A very tragic incident happened in Alipur.

Five people were killed and eight injured after the wall of an under-construction godown collapsed in outer Delhi's Alipur area, police said on Friday.

According to officials, the eight injured are undergoing treatment at a hospital while search operations are still underway amid fears that more people might be trapped under debris.

The area of the godown is about 5,000 square yards and four fire tenders were rushed to the spot, said Atul Garg, the director of Delhi Fire Service. He said preliminary enquiry suggested the construction was unauthorised.

Police said a PCR call was received at Alipur police station at 12:40 pm about the wall collapse.

''On reaching the spot, it was found that approximately 100-feet-long and 15-feet-high wall of the under-construction warehouse has collapsed. Around 20 labourers who were digging a foundation adjacent to the wall got buried under the debris,'' a senior police officer said.

''With collective efforts, 13 labourers were shifted to Satyawadi Raja Harish Chandra Hospital in Narela. Of them, eight have been injured while five others have been declared dead,'' he added. The land owner has been identified as Shakti Singh, (40), a resident of Bakoli in the Alipur area and the contractor is Sikandar, police said, adding legal action will be initiated in the matter. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), in a statement, said the wall was being constructed on private land in Bakoli village. The sub-divisional magistrate had issued a restraint order on the construction.

''MCD had carried out demolition action on April 22 and wrote to the police station concerned to not allow construction activities there. On July 13, a junior engineer on a field visit noticed construction activities at the spot following which a notice was issued to the property owner,'' it added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish over the incident and said his thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones.

''Anguished by the mishap in Alipur, Delhi. My thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that those who are injured recover at the earliest,'' Modi was quoted as saying in a tweet by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said he was monitoring the relief work.

''A very tragic incident happened in Alipur. The district administration is involved in relief and rescue work. I am monitoring the relief work. I pray for the souls of the deceased,'' Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.