Kapil, 28, was optimistic about reaching the Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) on Saturday after the interview went well. His friends told the news agency that he gathered five of his friends for a small celebration at a canteen in Delhi’s Saeedulagap area in the evening. PTI.
But the celebration turned into tragedy when a multi-storey building collapsed and the debris hit a tin canteen frequented by students preparing for competitive examinations such as the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE), the National Eligibility for Entrance Test (NEET) and the Foreign Medical Postgraduate Examination (FMGE). Kapil died along with his friend Nalin Rai, both former students of Muzaffarpur Institute of Technology (MIT) in Bihar, and later associated with a coaching institute in Delhi.
The celebration turns into a tragedy
“Kapil called his friends because his interview went very well. They were sitting together in the canteen when the building collapsed,” a friend was quoted as saying.
Kapil reportedly died during treatment at the hospital.
At least six people have been killed so far in a building collapse near Delhi’s Saket Metro station and several others have been injured. The accident occurred at approximately 7:30 pm on Saturday.
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Nalin, 23, a resident of Nawada district in Bihar, had recently completed his BTech and was preparing for GATE. Family members were quoted as saying that he was planning to return home during his upcoming vacation, and had spoken to them normally earlier in the day.
“Everything was normal. He was telling us that he would come home during the holidays,” his uncle, Baikunth Nath, who lives in Gurugram, was quoted as saying. Nalin’s friends called Nath around 8 pm and informed him about the building collapse.
He waited nearly 8 hours for his nephew at the accident site
Nath rushed to the spot immediately and stayed till 5 am hoping to find Nalin. “But we were unable to locate him,” he added, adding that no one from the rescue team had arrived at the scene when he arrived.
He said he returned home after 5 am because his phone died, and soon after, he was informed that his nephew’s body had been found and taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre, where he was declared brought dead.
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Relatives said Nalin suffered serious head injuries.
Relatives of those admitted to the AIIMS trauma center said many of those trapped suffered fatal head injuries after being hit by falling debris.
Most of them suffered head injuries
Kapil was among the first victims reported, along with another 24-year-old man named Ravi, who was seriously injured after an iron rod pierced his chest.
Eyewitnesses reported that they heard cracking sounds moments before the structure collapsed.
A local resident involved in the rescue effort was quoted as saying: “At first we thought it was an earthquake. The glass panels started shaking and then we heard loud cracking sounds from the building. The structure tilted and collapsed almost all at once.”
Many local residents also claimed that their input regarding possible locations of trapped victims was initially ignored by rescue teams.
“We kept asking them to check the specific places where people could be trapped,” a resident said. “Local residents rescued eight to nine people before specialized teams arrived.”
The collapse reduced the commercial structure to rubble, with debris crushing the adjacent cafeteria. The building includes training institutes, cafes and offices, while construction work was underway on the upper floor.
The National Disaster Relief Force, Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Disaster Management Authority, police and local volunteers carried out rescue operations throughout the night before all the trapped people were identified.
The authorities have opened an investigation, and the exact cause of the collapse has not yet been determined.
With input from agencies
