Satya Niketan building collapse: Trapped students SOS call from under debris goes viral
An 11-second video shared on X by the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) shows the student lying under the debris.
PTC News Desk: Visible blood stains, face covered in dust and surrounded by chunks of concrete and twisted debris. A student trapped under the rubble of a collapsed PG building in south Delhi’s Satya Niketan was still conscious enough to use his phone and make a video call for help.
An 11-second video shared on X by the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) shows the student lying under the debris. He moves his phone camera around to show the small space where he was trapped while asking for help.
Also Read: Five floors, visible cracks, no proper exit: Safety lapses come to fore after PG building collapses in Delhi's Satya Niketan
The student, identified as Aditya, is a second-year B.Com student at Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College. He was later rescued and taken to hospital. Delhi Fire Service officials said he was under observation and was not in critical condition.
The video shows the difficult conditions faced by students trapped inside the building. Six people have died in the collapse so far. Around 40 to 50 students were believed to be inside when the building collapsed at around 1:30 pm on Sunday. The nearly 50-year-old building, known as Hostel Daze, was being used as a boys’ PG.
The exact reason for the collapse is not yet known. Police said renovation work was being carried out on the ground floor when the building collapsed. A local resident claimed that repair or construction work was also taking place in the basement. Locals said water had collected there after several days of rain, which may have weakened the building’s foundation.
MCD flags lapses
So far, 11 people have been rescued, while rescue teams continued searching for others who may still be trapped. Ten injured people were taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre.
A senior MCD official said the building stood on a 55-square-yard plot in a resettlement colony. It was a ground-plus-four (G 4) structure, even though permission had originally been given only for a ground-plus-one (G 1) building.
Police have registered an FIR against the building owner, Hariram, and others. The charges include culpable homicide, negligence in maintaining the building and endangering public safety.
On Monday, Delhi Police conducted raids at several locations, including Gurugram, in an attempt to arrest Hariram. He was not found at his home and is reportedly hiding in a safe location.
Police have also raided the homes of some of his associates. A lookout notice has been issued against Hariram, and his passport has been seized.