New Delhi: Tragedy struck at the Gokalpuri metro station here Thursday when a portion of its wall collapsed around 11 am, leading to the death of a 53-year-old man. Describing the harrowing scene, eyewitnesses also highlighted that it could have been a greater disaster given that several students gathered near it after school for snacks.
"The Government Boys Senior Secondary School is hardly 50 metres from where the collapse took place. The incident happened around 11 am. Had it occurred around 1.30 pm, it could have been even more disastrous as several students usually gather there to have tea and snacks after school," cab driver Dilshan Khan, who was waiting near the metro station, said.
Earlier in the day, a portion of the wall of the station's elevated platform collapsed and fell on the road below, killing one person and injuring four others. Gokulpuri Metro Station is on the Pink Line of the Delhi Metro. The entire area was cordoned off after the incident.
Another eyewitness Krishan Kumar said, "We got to know that one person died and four people received injuries. But it could have been more severe if the incident had happened at about 1 pm." He added that there is a cooking gas cylinder agency adjacent to the metro station.
A senior police officer said, "We have diverted the traffic near the metro station. We have put barricading and paramilitary forces were deployed to maintain law and order."
Another eyewitness Azad Ali said, "It was around 11 am when we heard a loud noise of something falling. We immediately rushed to the spot.. one scooter rider got trapped under the debris."
Sehzad Khan said, "I had just reached my shop when it happened. We rushed there to help those who got trapped. One person was seriously injured."
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation announced a compensation of Rs 25 lakh for the family of the 53-year-old man who died in the incident. The transporter also announced Rs 5 lakh compensation for those grievously injured and Rs 1 lakh for those with minor injuries.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)