'Thought Our Home Was Collapsing': Eyewitness Recalls Delhi Building Collapse That Claimed 2 Lives

Two people died after a 3-storey under-construction building collapsed in Delhi's Chandni Chowk. Eyewitness recalled hearing a loud crashing sound that forced residents to rush out of their homes, fearing their own buildings were collapsing.

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Delhi building collapse claims 2 lives

Residents of Delhi's Chandni Chowk area were jolted awake by a loud crashing sound on Thursday morning when a three-storey building under construction collapsed, killing at least two people. Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic as residents rushed out of their homes, initially fearing that their own buildings were falling apart.

The incident took place in Gali Sattara, Sheesh Mahal, near Chawri Bazaar Metro Station. Rescue teams, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Delhi Fire Services, reached the spot and launched search and rescue operations.

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'We Thought Our Own House Was Collapsing': Eyewitness

Recalling the terrifying moments, local resident Mohd Nayeem said the incident happened at around 9 am or 9.30 am. Residents were asleep when a sudden crashing sound forced them out of their homes.

"We were asleep when we heard a crashing sound. We all got up and rushed outside. We thought our own house was collapsing," Nayeem said.

He said residents realised that the neighbouring building, which was under construction, had come crashing down.

#WATCH | Delhi: An eye-witness Mohd Nayeem says, "This happened around 9:00 or 9:30. We were asleep when we heard a crashing sound. We all got up and rushed outside. We thought our own house was collapsing. When we checked, we realized it was the house being built next door. Three or four lintels had already been cast, and they all collapsed at once. One of the injured laborers said there were about three or four people there. We saw a body being taken out. This building was under construction for the last 3-4 months..."

— ANI (@ANI) November 5, 2026

The eyewitness described how several concrete sections of the structure collapsed together. According to him, three or four lintels had already been cast at the site before they gave way.

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'Three Or Four People Were There': Labourers Feared Trapped

Nayeem said an injured labourer told residents that around three or four people were present at the construction site when the building collapsed.

He added that residents also saw a body being brought out from beneath the debris.

The eyewitness said construction work on the building had been going on for the past three to four months. The sudden collapse left residents shocked as rescue teams rushed to search for people who might have been trapped underneath the rubble.

Two people have died in the incident, while rescue operations were launched to check for others who could still be trapped.

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Delhi Fire Services Rush Six Units To The Spot

According to the Delhi Fire Services, a call about the building collapse was received at around 9.50 am from the Paiwalan area.

#WATCH | Delhi: NDRF carries out search and rescue operations at the spot where a portion of an under construction building collapsed in Delhi’s Chawri Bazaar area.

Two people have lost their lives in the incident. https://t.co/IcMXASyMHX

— ANI (@ANI) November 5, 2026

Initially, two water tenders, one water bowser, one Quick Response Vehicle (QRV) and one Incident Response Team (IRT) were dispatched to the location.

At around 10.15 am, Station Officer DK Rai informed the department that a three-storey under-construction building had collapsed and several people might be trapped beneath the debris. He also requested additional personnel and the presence of a senior officer.

Following the request, the department sent another water tender and Assistant Divisional Officer (ADO) Rajesh Shukla to the site. This took the total number of deployed fire department units to six.

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NDRF Joins Search And Rescue Operation

The NDRF also reached the location and began search and rescue operations amid the debris of the collapsed building.

The narrow lanes of the Chandni Chowk area posed an additional challenge for emergency responders working to reach the affected structure and search for possible survivors.

(With agency inputs)