At least 11 killed in New Delhi building collapse

Published
Resue officials work at the site of a building collapse in Mustafabad, New Delhi, India on April 20, 2025. — via X/KapilMishra_IND
Resue officials work at the site of a building collapse in Mustafabad, New Delhi, India on April 20, 2025. — via X/KapilMishra_IND

At least 11 people, including three children, were killed in New Delhi on Saturday after a residential building collapsed on the outskirts of the Indian capital, local reports and authorities said.

The incident happened in the early hours in the northeastern district of the city that mostly houses migrant workers, with rescue teams digging through the rubble throughout the day.

Eleven people were pronounced dead, NDTV channel reported, though 11 others were rescued and taken to a hospital. Five were still undergoing treatment, the network said.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “saddened by the loss of lives”.

“Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones,” Modi’s office posted on X. “May the injured recover soon.”

President Droupadi Murmu, who lives in her official palace just 20 kilometres from the site, said that “the deaths of many people including women and children is very sad”.

Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party recently won the Delhi state election for the first time in almost three decades.

The cause of the collapse was not immediately known.

Delhi minister Kapil Mishra blamed corruption in the municipal government — run by the rival Aam Aadmi Party to which former CM Arvind Kejriwal belonged — for such building collapses, saying on X: “Construction of such illegal buildings is going on in full swing.”

“Survey of all these illegal buildings is necessary, strict action is required against them,” he added.

Local media reports said that the four-storey building “came crashing down like a stack of cards”.

Building collapses are frequent in India, and illegal structures — often home to migrant workers — are common in big cities.

Opinion

Editorial

A new chokepoint
Updated 24 Jul, 2026

A new chokepoint

WITH free transit of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz blocked due to the US-Iran conflict, a new chokepoint has...
Improved rating
24 Jul, 2026

Improved rating

S&P GLOBAL’S decision to upgrade Pakistan’s long-term sovereign credit rating to ‘B’ with a stable...
More firetraps
24 Jul, 2026

More firetraps

WHILE it was already apparent that death traps dot Karachi, a safety audit by the Sindh government has thrown up...
De-escalation efforts
23 Jul, 2026

De-escalation efforts

WHILE the exchange of fire across the Gulf — and the wider Middle East — continues between the US and Iran,...
Time to integrate
23 Jul, 2026

Time to integrate

PAKISTAN remains one of the least regionally integrated economies in Asia. The trade figures for the last fiscal ...
Modi unnerved
23 Jul, 2026

Modi unnerved

DISCONTENT is visible in India. Delhi has been on the boil since last month. As thousands took to the streets ...