At least five people were killed when a five-storeyed building housing college students collapsed on Sunday (September 6, 2026) in South West Delhi’s Satya Niketan, a dense hub for paying guest or PG accommodation near Delhi University ‘s South Campus.

Of the 11 people pulled out of the building and taken to hospital, four were declared as brought dead at the JPN Apex Trauma Centre at AIIMS. One was in critical condition and later succumbed to injuries. Three people have been admitted at AIIMS and are being treated, while another underwent limb surgery. One patient sustained minor injuries and was discharged after observation, doctors said. One more person, a 19-year-old man, was taken to Safdarjung hospital and is stable.

An FIR under Sections 105, 290 and 125 (a) BNS have been registered against the building owner Hariram Bansal and others. The building houses a PG accommodation named Hostel Daze. Locals said the building, which comprises a basement plus five more floors, is at least 50 years old. Repair work was underway in the basement when the incident occurred, police officials said.

The South Campus police station received a control room call at 1:34 p.m., reporting a building collapse at Satya Niketan Market.

The area was cordoned off within an hour, and student volunteers helped to clear out the area for JCB machines to enter and begin carrying out the debris. Teams from Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Police, the National Disaster Response Force, and the District Disaster Management Authority then reached the spot with ten fire tenders and Centralised Accident and Trauma Services (CATS) ambulances and commenced rescue operations, supervised by senior officials.

Repair work in basement

Daljeet Singh, a local helping with the rescue, said the building was not well-built and had been weakened by the repair work. “The foundation of the building is not strong. It is an old building, and water is entering the basement, where some work is ongoing. The adjacent building has also been affected by the impact,” he said. “In my 48 years, I have seen the building adding floors slowly,” he added.

“The building was without any support, with no pillars and thin walls. The five-storeyed building first collapsed under its weight and then fell forward onto the road. We rushed to the spot as soon as we heard a loud sound and people started screaming,” said Rahul Gaur, another local. He said that the ground floor also had a general store, while there were labourers working on the basement.

‘Safety norms ignored in PG hub’

Locals said the PG accommodation housed at least 30 students. “Most of the PGs here have at least ten students on each floor,” said Abhishek Mishra, a Delhi University law student who helped in the rescue work.

“The area is heavily populated by PGs which do not follow safety norms. Most of the students are from other States. Despite paying a monthly rent of ₹13,000 to ₹30,000, the PG managers do not treat students well. Owners do not come to check for any structural defects,” Mr. Mishra added.

“During the rescue, we found a Mathematics book belonging to a B.Com student named Rajesh Mishra. There have been students collapsed under huge slabs, and some of them have even made video calls to their friends and family,” said Abhishek Singh, another student helping with the rescue.

Police teams also arrived at the site and cordoned off the area as emergency personnel launched a search and rescue operation.

Shashi Shekhar Kashyap

Students, locals start rescue work

Residents said the rescue work intensified only when senior officials arrived at the scene. Before that, student volunteers helped carry debris and move damaged vehicles, opened a nearby MCD park to dump the debris, and tied the electricity wires hanging above for easy movement of the JCB machines.

“Work has only intensified after 3:30-4 p.m. Until then, the area was surrounded by the public, with debris being removed by locals and volunteers with their hands,” a resident said.