Delhi Chawri Bazaar building collapses amid Diwali festive shopping rush; two dead, several feared trapped

Two people were killed and another was injured after a portion of a three-storey building under construction collapsed in Delhi’s Chawri Bazaar area on Thursday morning, Delhi Police told ANI.

The incident took place around 9.50 am in Gali Sitara, near Chawri Bazaar Metro station, triggering a major rescue operation amid fears that people were trapped beneath the debris, PTI reported.



Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are carrying out search and rescue operations at the site, while at least six fire units, including water tenders and rescue vehicles, were rushed to the spot. Senior officers are supervising the operation.

Further details about the circumstances leading to the collapse are awaited.

Previous building collapse incidents in Delhi

The latest collapse comes days after two men were killed when two slabs of a building gave way in northeast Delhi’s Milan Garden area. The incident occurred during the construction of an additional floor above an old house. A portion of the existing roof reportedly collapsed, bringing down the newly constructed slab as well.

Earlier, on October 7, a four-storey building collapsed in the Seemapuri area of northeast Delhi, killing three people, including a child. Eight others were rescued from the debris and taken to Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital in Tahirpur for treatment.

In another major incident on September 6, a five-storey paying guest accommodation collapsed in south Delhi’s Satya Niketan, killing seven people. The collapse was reportedly linked to basement excavation work and waterlogging following heavy monsoon rain. The incident also raised concerns over building safety and construction oversight in the area.