Holiday plan, job hope end under rubble: Delhi building collapse kills 2 friends

A multi-storey commercial building on Western Marg in Delhi’s Saidulajab area collapsed at around 7:30 pm on May 31, burying a tin-roofed canteen beneath tons of debris. Six people were killed, including 28-year-old Kapil, who had recently interviewed for the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), and 23-year-old Nalin Ray, a BTech graduate preparing for the GATE examination. Kapil had gathered five friends, including two women, for a celebration after his interview went well, according to PTI. Nalin, a former student of Muzaffarpur Institute of Technology (MIT), had spoken to his family earlier that day about returning home during his upcoming holidays. His uncle, Baikunth Nath, arrived at the site after receiving a call around 8 pm but spent the night waiting in vain for survivors. Rescue teams faced delays, and Nalin’s body was later recovered from the rubble and taken to AIIMS Trauma Centre, where doctors confirmed his death from severe head injuries. Other victims included 24-year-old Ravi, who died after an iron rod pierced his chest, while several others sustained fatal head wounds from falling concrete and metal. Residents reported hearing unusual sounds before the collapse, including shaking glass panes and loud cracking noises. The building’s structural failure trapped multiple survivors under debris, with recovery efforts continuing long into the night. Authorities have not yet confirmed the cause of the collapse, but witnesses described the scene as chaotic as rescue teams worked to clear the rubble.