‘Have you seen him?’: Frantic search for loved ones after Delhi building collapse

Holding her mobile phone, a teary-eyed Puja Yadav, 20, asked the same question from hospital staff and police officers at the AIIMS Trauma Centre in Delhi on Sunday as she showed them her brother’s photograph: “Have you seen Pawan Yadav?” A student at Delhi University’s Motilal Nehru College, Pawan, 21, was inside a five-storey building in Satya Niketan that collapsed on Sunday afternoon, killing at least three people.

Her frantic search, however, could not yield any relief. “They are saying he is not here,” Puja said, crying. She had spoken to Pawan the previous night. “His phone was unreachable after the incident. His roommate’s phone was unreachable too,” she said.

At least seven patients were brought to the AIIMS Trauma Centre, hospital officials said. At least three were declared dead. Some found their loved ones. Neeraj Bawa, a BA student at Motilal Nehru College (Evening), was among those being treated.

He had come to Delhi from Jammu. His elder brother set out from Jammu with two cousins after hearing about the collapse. “We haven’t been given much information. Just that he is severely injured, and the doctors are treating him,” said Ravinder, Neeraj’s friend.

Another student from the college, Ayaan, suffered minor injuries to his head and limbs and was recovering at Safdarjung Hospital. At the site of the incident, rescue work gathered pace as day proceeded. Umanshi Lamba, a DU student, said she saw students pulling more than 10 people from the rubble.

“The most important thing right now is that information about patients be shared quickly so that their parents and relatives can be informed,” Lamba said. “Most of these students were living alone, away from home – from Uttar Pradesh, Jammu, and Rajasthan,” she added.

Satya Niketan, the area where the building collapsed, is a hub of PG accomodations where many students enrolled in DU's South Campus live. Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded to the incident on X, saying, "The collapse of a building at Satya Niketan, Delhi is distressing.

Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured. Authorities are working at the site and assisting those affected in the mishap." Delhi LG Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar, and MP Bansuri Swaraj rushed to the spot after the incident.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed his grief at the deaths. He said he spoke to the CM, the Delhi police chief, and the NDMA director general for an assessment of the situation on the ground. "The injured are being given all necessary medical assistance.

Praying for the speedy recovery of all those injured," he wrote on X. Tabshir Shams covers health for The Indian Express. He holds a Master's degree in International Relations from South Asian University. Before joining The Indian Express, he interned at The Hindu from December 2025 to June 2026, where he assisted in the research and editing of a book on delimitation published by The Hindu Group Publications.

During this time, he also wrote for The Hindu's Text & Context section, on subjects ranging from Pakistan's military establishment to Bangladesh's elections, and reported a Spotlight feature on a jute mill in Samastipur and its ripple effects on labour migration and the local economy.

In July 2025, he interned at The Indian Express, where he wrote several explainers on international relations alongside a health report. His Master's thesis examines civil-military relations in Pakistan, with a focus on the post-2019 period.

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