Eight killed as wall collapses amid heavy rain in Delhi

Eight people were killed after a wall collapsed amid heavy downpour near Mohan Baba Mandir in Harinagar, Jaitapur in Delhi on Saturday (August 9) morning.

Upon being informed about the incident, three fire tenders along with police teams rushed to the spot, the Delhi Fire Service said. According to a PTI report, the fire department received a call about the incident at 9.16 am on Saturday.

‘Wall weakened by rain’

A Hindustan Times report stated that the incident took place near an old temple where some scrap dealers lived in nearby shanties. The report further stated that a wall of the temple suddenly collapsed as it was weakened by the heavy rainfall. Eight residents were trapped under the debris.

They were rescued and rushed to the hospital. But all were in critical condition and later succumbed to injuries.

Also Read: Heavy rain lashes Delhi, causes waterlogging in many parts of city

What police said

Speaking to reporters, Additional DCP (South East) Aishwarya Sharma said that the wall collapsed due to heavy rain overnight. He also said that the shanties were removed from the spot to prevent any future occurrence of such an incident.

“There is an old temple here, and next to it are old jhuggies where scrap dealers live. The wall collapsed due to heavy rain overnight. We have now evacuated these jhuggies so that no such incident occurs in future,” said Sharma as quoted by Hindustan Times.

According to media reports, the initial emergency notification stated that the incident was a “building collapse”, but a subsequent probe revealed that it was an incident of wall collapse. Police have since cordoned off the area and evacuated residents from the nearby vulnerable structures.

Also Read: Heavy rains lash Delhi, lead to waterlogging in several areas

IMD issues red alert for Delhi

The national capital was lashed by heavy rain overnight and the India Meteorological Department issued a red alert for the day. The downpour began late at 11 pm on Friday, lashing multiple parts of Delhi-NCR.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for most parts of Delhi-NCR. Waterlogging at Panchkuian Marg, Mathura Road, Shastri Bhawan, RK Puram, Moti Bagh, and Kidwai Nagar, among others, slowed down traffic in the area. The downpour began late at night around 11 pm on Friday and has continued till Saturday morning.

Also Read: ‘Red alert’ issued in Delhi as heavy rain causes waterlogging, traffic chaos

Delhi Airport advisory

The Delhi Airport in an advisory, urged passengers to arrive early in view of the waterlogging in areas near the airport.

“As per the Indian Meteorological Department's forecast, Delhi is currently experiencing inclement weather, including heavy rainfall, resulting in waterlogging near the airport. Passengers are advised to plan their travel accordingly and consider alternative modes of transport, such as the Delhi Metro, to avoid delays and ensure timely arrival at the airport,” stated the advisory.

(With agency inputs)