New Delhi, July 12 : A four-storey building collapsed early on Saturday morning in the Janta Mazdoor Colony area under the Welcome Police Station in North-East Delhi. While three people were pulled out of the debris many others are feared trapped.

The incident occurred around 7 A.M., sparking panic in the densely populated neighbourhood. So far, three people have been rescued from the debris, while rescue operations continue in full swing.

Eyewitnesses report that several individuals were inside the building at the time of the collapse. It is feared that nearly a dozen people may still be trapped under the rubble.

Teams from the Delhi Police, Delhi Fire Service, and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are on-site, engaged in intensive relief and rescue efforts.

At least seven fire tenders have been deployed at the location. The narrow lanes and congested surroundings pose significant challenges to the rescue teams.

A resident of the colony shared, "At around 6:45 A.M., the lights suddenly went out. When I looked, I saw that a building had collapsed. Police officers arrived, and three people have been rescued so far. There's no way to enter from the other side, it's a narrow lane."

Despite these hurdles, authorities are working relentlessly to clear the debris and search for survivors.

The exact cause of the collapse is yet to be determined. However, preliminary reports suggest that the building was old and structurally weak. With the arrival of the monsoon season, the heavy rainfall over the past few days may have further compromised the building's integrity.

The local administration has ordered an enquiry into the incident and is surveying nearby structures to identify other potentially hazardous buildings.

The incident has brought attention once again to the city's ageing and poorly maintained infrastructure, especially in densely populated localities like Janta Mazdoor Colony. The administration is expected to launch a wider survey to assess vulnerable buildings in the region.

Earlier this week, Delhi experienced widespread monsoon rains, which brought relief from sweltering humidity but also led to waterlogging and traffic snarls in multiple parts of the city.

Locations such as Nehru Place, Lajpat Nagar, ITO, and Akshardham saw severe disruptions. The Public Works Department (PWD) reported receiving 29 complaints of waterlogging across areas, including New Friends Colony, Yamuna Vihar, and Wazirabad Road.

/IANS