5-story building collapses in Delhi's Seemapuri, several trapped
What's the story
A five-story building collapsed in the New Seemapuri area of northeast Delhi on Wednesday afternoon, with several people trapped under the debris, IANS reported. The incident took place near Idgah Machhli Mandi. The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) said they received a call regarding the collapse at 3.30pm and rushed fire engines to the spot. "Search and rescue operation is ongoing," an official said.
Police
Please avoid the area if possible: Traffic police
The Delhi Traffic Police has urged people to avoid the area so that ambulances and rescue vehicles can go through faster.
"A multi-story building has collapsed in Seemapuri...Traffic is affected around Seemapuri Gol Chakkar, DLF Bhopura and adjoining roads. Every clear lane gives an ambulance and rescue vehicle a faster way through. Please avoid the area if possible. Do not stop, park or gather near the site, and follow the directions of traffic personnel," Delhi Traffic Police posted on X.
Twitter Post
Visuals from the site
#WATCH | Delhi: A residential building collapsed near Idgah Machhli Mandi, New Seemapuri, this afternoon. Visuals from the spot. More details awaited. pic.twitter.com/jNJcq8xisT
— ANI (@ANI) October 7, 2026
Previous incident
Similar incident took place last month
The incident comes almost a month after a five-story building collapsed in southwest Delhi's Satya Niketan on September 6, killing seven people.
A Delhi Police probe into the Satya Niketan collapse revealed that renovation work done around 10 days before the incident allegedly weakened the structure.
The work involved leveling the basement with the ground floor by filling it with three truckloads of construction debris.
Legal action
Renovation work weakened structure, police say
On the day of the collapse, a wall on the ground floor was allegedly removed to create more space for a shop.
Police said these structural changes and the added weight in the basement may have compromised the building's stability.
Labor contractor Sanoj Kumar, who was allegedly hired for renovation work, was arrested from Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh.
During interrogation, he told police Gupta paid him ₹2,800 per day for his services.
Negligence charges
Building operated as PG accommodation
Investigators also found that the Satya Niketan building was being used as paying guest accommodation. PG operator Shudhanshu Lovneesh was arrested by police.
Lovneesh and his associate Shubham Tyagi had leased four floors of the building in August 2025 for ₹1.05 lakh per month, allegedly at a lower rate due to its dilapidated condition.
Investigators claim Lovneesh knew about the renovation work but remained negligent despite knowing it could affect stability.