Seemapuri building collapse explained: What we know so far

The building had four storeys and was about 20 to 25 years old.

It collapsed at around 3:30 pm on October 7.

At least five people have died.

Suspected causes include demolition work next door and cracks after an earthquake.

The exact cause is still under investigation.

Officials said that two to three people could still be trapped under the rubble.

Teams from the Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Police, DDMA, MCD, CATS and the NDRF were at the site.

Narrow lanes and large concrete slabs slowed the rescue, and bulldozers, heavy machinery and local residents helped to clear the debris.

North East Delhi District Magistrate Ajay Kumar said witnesses had reported demolition work at an adjoining structure.

The magistrate said that vibrations from the machinery may have contributed to the collapse, according to the same report.

Residents said that cracks appeared in the building after the earthquake that struck Chamoli in Uttarakhand on Tuesday night and was felt in Delhi.

The exact cause has not been established, and a detailed assessment is needed.

The MCD said the building was about 20 to 25 years old and stood on a plot of about 22 to 25 square yards.

Adjoining buildings and a nearby boundary wall were also damaged.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta directed agencies to coordinate and speed up rescue operations, according to the Delhi Chief Minister’s Office.

The collapse came a month after a building collapse in Delhi’s Satya Niketan area on September 6, in which seven people died.

The National Disaster Response Force specialises in search and rescue after structural collapses.

Many buildings in dense parts of Delhi are built on very small plots, with narrow lanes that make heavy equipment hard to bring in.

The reports did not mention compensation or a formal inquiry at the time of writing.

Street scene in Delhi (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0