Delhi Building Collapse Tragedy: Medical Student, Engineering Aspirants Among Six Killed in Saidulajab Disaster
A devastating building collapse in Delhi’s Saidulajab area near Saket Metro Station claimed the lives of six people, including a young medical graduate preparing for a licensing examination, an engineering aspirant, and three other students.
The five-storey structure came crashing down on Saturday evening, leaving families shattered and raising serious concerns about building safety in the capital.
According to police officials, nearly 20 people had gathered in a kitchen located next to the building for their evening meal when the structure suddenly collapsed at around 7:15 pm.
Most of those present were students residing in nearby paying guest accommodations and rented rooms while preparing for competitive examinations.
Among the victims was 35-year-old Parvati, who operated the kitchen and was reportedly cooking food for the students at the time of the tragedy.
Authorities said she remained trapped beneath the debris and was among those who lost their lives in the collapse.
Preliminary findings suggest that unauthorised construction activity had been taking place on the upper floors of the building for several months.
Investigators believe these structural modifications may have weakened the building and contributed to the disaster.
One of the deceased, 26-year-old Ravi Prakash, hailed from Gonda district in Uttar Pradesh.
The eldest among five siblings and the son of a farmer, Ravi had completed his medical education in Kyrgyzstan and had returned to India to prepare for the Foreign Medical Graduate (FMG) Examination.
His family had pinned high hopes on him becoming a licensed doctor.
Speaking about the tragedy, Ravi’s uncle, Jaiprakash, said the young man had been living in a paying guest accommodation since returning from abroad about a year ago.
“His father worked tirelessly as a farmer, and the family dreamed of seeing him establish a successful medical career,” he said.
Another victim, 22-year-old Nalin from Bihar’s Nalanda district, had moved to Delhi six months earlier to prepare for the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE).
The son of a farmer, he was staying in a nearby PG accommodation while pursuing his academic goals.
Three additional students — Ekta, Alok, and Kapil — also lost their lives in the collapse. Ekta was studying medicine, while Alok and Kapil were preparing for engineering entrance and higher education examinations.
Ekta’s father, Ramesh Chand, travelled from Alwar in Rajasthan and spent several agonising hours waiting at the accident site before rescue teams recovered his daughter’s body from the rubble on Sunday afternoon.
Recalling his final conversation with her, he said, “We spoke for nearly 18 minutes the previous afternoon. She also talked to her mother and brother.
Calling home every evening around 7:30 pm was part of her daily routine. When she did not call that night, we became worried. Later, one of her friends informed us that a serious incident had occurred near her coaching centre.”
Parvati, who ran the kitchen along with her family, had been serving students in the area for more than a year.
Many young residents living in nearby hostels and PG accommodations depended on her establishment for their daily meals. Rescue teams recovered her body nearly 16 hours after search operations began.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) suspended two engineers responsible for overseeing the area, citing negligence and failure to perform their duties.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta visited the site on Sunday to assess the rescue efforts and assured that those responsible would face strict action.
Police have launched a detailed investigation into the incident.
Authorities confirmed that the building owner has been detained, and a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered as officials work to determine accountability for the deadly collapse.
