Research Aspirant Was Celebrating His Interview When Delhi Building Collapsed

What began as a small celebration among six friends at a canteen ended in tragedy when a multi-storey commercial building came crashing down near Saket metro station here on Saturday evening -- killing at least six people and trapping several under debris.

Among those who lost their lives was 28-year-old Kapil, an aspirant for the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), who had gathered with five friends at the canteen adjacent to the building after performing well in an interview for a position at the coveted institution, his friends told PTI. The results are expected in July.

The building on Western Marg in Saidulajab area collapsed around 7.30 pm, sending tonnes of debris crashing onto the tin-shed canteen -- frequented by students preparing for competitive examinations such as Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE), National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE).

Kapil and his friend Nalin, both former students of Muzaffarpur Institute of Technology (MIT) in Bihar and later associated with a coaching institute in Delhi, were among a group of six students, including two women, who had assembled for the meagre celebration.

"Kapil had called his friends because his interview had gone very well. They were sitting together in the canteen when the building collapsed," a friend said.

Nalin Ray, 23, a resident of Nawada district in Bihar, had recently completed his BTech and was preparing for GATE. Family members said he was planning to return home during his upcoming break and had spoken normally with them earlier in the day.

"Everything was normal. He was telling us that he would come home during the holidays," said his uncle, Baikunth Nath, who lives in Gurugram.

Nath said he received a call from one of Nalin's friends around 8 pm, who informed the family about the collapse.

"I rushed there immediately and remained at the site till 5 am hoping Nalin would be found. But he could not be located," he said, adding that no one from the rescue team had reached the spot when he arrived.

He said he returned home after 5 am as his phone died, and soon after, he was informed that his nephew's body had been found and taken to the AIIMS trauma centre, where he was declared brought dead.

Relatives said Nalin had sustained severe head injury.

"Many of those trapped suffered fatal head wounds after being struck by falling debris," family members of those admitted at the trauma centre said.

The first confirmed student deaths were those of Kapil and 24-year-old Ravi, another caught in the collapse, family members at the hospital said.

Ravi suffered severe injuries after an iron rod pierced through his chest, while Kapil was died during treatment at the hospital, they added.

Witnesses recalled hearing cracking sounds moments before the structure gave way.

"We first thought it was an earthquake. Glass panes started shaking and then we heard loud cracking noises from the building. The structure tilted and collapsed almost all at once," said a local resident involved in rescue efforts.

Several locals alleged that their inputs regarding possible locations of trapped victims were initially ignored by rescue teams.

"We kept telling them to check specific spots where people could be trapped. Locals rescued eight to nine people before specialised teams arrived," a resident claimed.

The collapse reduced the commercial structure to rubble, with debris crushing the adjoining canteen. The building housed coaching institutes, cafes and offices, while construction work was underway on an upper floor.

A multi-agency rescue operation involving the National Disaster Relief Force, Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Disaster Management Authority, police and local volunteers continued through the night before all the trapped persons were accounted for.

Authorities have initiated an inquiry, and the exact cause of the collapse is yet to be ascertained. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)