The building collapsed in the densely populated Paiwalan locality, near Chawri Bazaar Metro Station. An eyewitness said several workers were inside when the structure gave way. The building had been under construction for three to four months.
BY PC Bureau
November 5: At least two people were killed and six others were feared trapped after a three-storey building under construction partially collapsed in Old Delhi’s Chandni Chowk–Chawri Bazaar area on Thursday morning.
The building collapsed in the Paiwalan locality, near Chawri Bazaar Metro Station. The Delhi Fire Services received an emergency call at around 9:50 am and rushed several rescue units to the site.
Two water tenders, a water bowser, a Quick Response Vehicle (QRV) and an Incident Response Team (IRT) were among the first units deployed.
Station Officer DK Rai confirmed that the three-storey building under construction had collapsed, with several people possibly buried under the debris. As the scale of the operation became clear, additional resources were sent to the site, taking the total number of fire service units to six.
Assistant Divisional Officer Rajesh Shukla is supervising the operation along with Station Officers Bhupender Sharma and DK Rai. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have also joined the rescue efforts.
An eyewitness, Mohd Nayeem, said the collapse occurred between 9 am and 9:30 am. Residents heard a loud crash and initially feared that their own building had come down.
Nayeem said three or four lintels that had already been cast collapsed together. An injured labourer told people at the site that three or four workers had been inside the building. One body was pulled out of the debris. The structure had reportedly been under construction for the past three to four months.
AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj criticised the Rekha Gupta-led Delhi government over the incident. In a post on X, he questioned the effectiveness of safety audits conducted by the government and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
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VIDEO | Delhi: A three-storey under-construction building collapsed in Old Delhi’s Chawri Bazaar, with several people feared trapped under the debris. Rescue operation underway. Visuals from the incident spot.
#DelhiNews #ChawriBazaar #BuildingCollapse
(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/bIyFWTfmBd)
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 5, 2026
He asked why buildings continued to collapse despite repeated inspections. Bharadwaj also alleged that civic and government departments enforced building regulations selectively, with corruption and bribes influencing their functioning.
The collapse has brought the safety of buildings in Old Delhi back into focus.lding The area has a dense mix of ageing structures and ongoing construction. Its narrow lanes also make access difficult for emergency vehicles and rescue teams.
Authorities have not yet established the cause of Thursday’s collapse. The condition of the building, the nature of the construction work and compliance with safety regulations are likely to come under scrutiny.
The incident comes less than two months after a five-storey building housing a paying guest accommodation collapsed in Satya Niketan on September 6. Seven people were killed and six injured.
Following that tragedy, the Delhi government announced plans for mandatory periodic structural audits and safety certificates for buildings used as hostels, schools and nursing homes. Thursday’s collapse is likely to raise fresh questions about the implementation and enforcement of those measures.
Rescue operations were continuing at the time of reporting.
