Loud sound, cloud of dust: Students, locals form human chain; first responders recall moments after building collapse

Barely a few minutes after the rescue operations started in South-west Delhi’s Satya Niketan where a building collapsed on Sunday, students living in nearby paying guest (PG) accommodations and others formed a human chain. Bricks, stone slabs, broken chairs, pillows and mattresses were cleared after being pulled out of the debris so students, who were trapped, could be spotted and rescued faster.

Deepak Kumar (21) was at a fast food outlet when, he said, he heard a loud sound.

“I was in the washroom. My owner rushed out. There was a cloud of dust and nothing was visible. People quickly shut their shops. We ran and pulled out the owners of two shops that were in front of the building (that collapsed). One ran a paan stall, the other sold electrical goods. We also removed some vehicles. There was an old man whose leg was stuck. He was screaming for help. We pulled him, but we could hear people crying and shouting from inside … the mud made their rescue difficult,” he said.

“The locality has narrow lanes, and getting cranes inside was not easy. During the first hour following the collapse, those who came forward to help were mostly residents of the area,” he said.

Mishra said they also asked residents to move their vehicles parked around the building to make way for the rescue teams. “We removed the rubble with our own hands. The local police also arrived soon after being informed, but the cranes took some time to reach the spot,” he said. Later, teams of Delhi Fire Services (DFS) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) arrived. Over six cranes were also pressed into service.

Another resident of the area said he heard a loud sound too, adding that he initially thought a transformer had probably exploded. However, when he stepped out, he found dust had covered the entire lane.

To search for survivors beneath the debris, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) used life detectors and trained search dogs. Officials said that once “signs of life were detected”, rescuers used diamond chain saws, hydraulic jacks, combi cutters and plasma cutters to carefully clear the rubble and create access routes.

While two NDRF teams comprising 70 officials reached the spot soon after they were alerted about the incident and began the rescue operations, two additional teams were kept on standby.

The biggest challenge, officials said, was locating survivors trapped beneath the debris. They added that inputs from residents of the area, however, helped rescuers.

Officials said that a person was rescued in an unconscious state in about 15 minutes, while two others were safely pulled out in around 30 minutes.

While ten people were rescued, five others were declared dead.