2 INJURED AFTER 80-YEAR-OLD BUILDING COLLAPSES IN SADAR BAZAR

NEW DELHI: A single storey building, believed to be over 80 years old, collapsed on Tuesday morning in Sadar Bazar area of north Delhi, injuring a 30-yearold man and his mother.

The incident took place around 10.30am in Qureshi Nagar area. Locals reported the matter to the police after which the Delhi fire service (DFS) was also alerted.firefighters and policemen rescued five occupants from the building in an hour-long rescue operation.

Atul Garg, director, DFS, said seven fire tenders were rushed to the spot to carry out the rescue. “Police, Delhi Disaster Management Authority officials and ambulances were called to the spot. Five occupants were rescued, of whom two required hospitalisation,” Garg said.

The police identified the two injured as Mohammad Nazeem, 30, and his 60-year-old mother Jarima and said they had sustained minor injuries. They were taken to Hindu Rao Hospital.

A senior police officer said the reason for the collapse is being probed. “Prima facie, it looks like the building collapsed because of its age — portions of it were dilapidated,” the officer said.

The collapse triggered a scare among residents whose houses are also similarly aged, prompting the north civic body to order a survey on Tuesday.

North corporation mayor Jai Prakash visited the collapse site and directed officials to speed up debris removal. He further asked officials to survey all old buildings to identify those that need repair or are too dangerous.