By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Five top officials including a deputy commissioner of MCD were suspended and owner of the five-storey hostel was arrested as the toll in the Sunday’s collapse of the building in South Delhi’s Satya Niketan area rose to seven on Monday.
With two more bodies being recovered from the debris, the death toll has now reached seven even as several others were still feared trapped after the building housing a boys’ paying guest (PG) accommodation collapsed in Delhi’s Satya Niketan area on Sunday afternoon, triggering a massive rescue operation.
A total of 12 persons have so far been pulled out of the debris, police said. Four were brought dead to the AIIMS Trauma Centre, while three others succumbed to injuries during treatment. Five others are reported to be in critical condition.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collapse. Delhi Police registered a first information report (FIR) against the alleged PG owner, identified as Hariram Bansal, and others. Bansal was arrested from Rewari area.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta ordered a magisterial inquiry and directed authorities to take strict action against anyone found responsible. The nearby building was evacuated as a precaution while rescue crews worked to reach anyone still trapped, with CM Gupta promising immediate assistance to the affected families.
The collapse occurred at around 1.30 pm in a congested lane near Delhi University’s South Campus. The building, reportedly around 40-50 years old, was being used as a student PG accommodation. Rescue teams have been working through the rubble amid concerns that more students could still be trapped inside.
Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Police, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Delhi Disaster Management Authority and other emergency agencies have been deployed at the site. Earth-moving and specialised rescue equipment is being used to clear the debris and locate survivors.
Local residents said they heard a loud sound when the structure came down and subsequently heard cries for help from beneath the rubble. Some people trapped inside were reportedly able to make phone calls, helping rescuers identify possible locations of survivors.
Preliminary reports indicate that repair or construction work was underway in the basement when the building collapsed. Investigators are examining whether the work weakened the structure’s supports. The exact cause of the collapse, however, has not yet been officially established.
The tragedy has also raised fresh questions over the safety of student PG accommodations in the densely populated Satya Niketan area, where several buildings are used as hostels and paying guest facilities.
Rescue operations were continuing as teams searched the debris for any remaining survivors.