Building collapses in Delhi, no causality reported

New Delhi, Sep 13 (IANS) After continuous rains for days, a residential building collapsed in the national capital on Monday, Delhi fire department said.

Hearing about the incident, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the administration is engaged in relief and rescue work. He said that he is personally monitoring the situation.

A fire department officer said that a three-story residential building opposite to Robin cinema in Ghanta Ghar Sabzi Mandi near Malka Ganj in Delhi collapsed and the department received a call regarding it at 12 noon. As soon as the fire department received a call, seven fire tenders were rushed to the spot for rescue operations.

"No fatality has been reported so far. Rescue operation is underway. Two persons have been rescued. Rest updates are awaited," Delhi's Chief Fire Officer Atul Garg told IANS.

Another fire official said that they were yet to ascertain what exactly caused the building collapse; however, they were of the view that heavy rainfall for the last few days in the city could have weakened the structure of the building.

The national capital has been witnessing heavy rainfall for the last few days, due to which several areas were reported waterlogged.

Since early on Saturday, parts of Delhi and adjoining cities have been witnessing spells of light rain to moderate rain. According to the IMD data, in the last 24 hours, the capital has received 41.1 mm rainfall, while on Saturday the city has recorded 94.7 mm rainfall. There have been as many as seven days of rainfall till September 11, 2021 and during the period a total of 337.4 mm rainfall was recorded.