New Delhi: Gulafsa, four months pregnant, started calling her father from under the debris of the collapsed building in New Seemapuri at 4pm. “I can’t breathe. Please give me water. I don’t want to die here, Abbu,” the 21-year-old kept repeating until 6.30pm, when the last call came. She was found dead around 9.30pm.The collapse of the residential building on a busy market road near northeast Delhi’s Idgah Machhli Mandi Wednesday afternoon triggered panic in the densely populated neighbourhood. Residents pulled out four people, including a child, before authorities arrived. Three people were found dead and several injured till late into the night.“I was sleeping when my house shook and a thundering sound woke me up. I ran, thinking it was an earthquake and the jhuggi was collapsing. Outside, a cloud of dust had blanketed the entire jhuggi. The tremors were stronger than Tuesday’s actual quake,” recalled 60-year-old Sakina Jahan, describing the horrifying moments.The neighbourhood is largely home to garbage collectors, ragpickers and scrap dealers. The building stood out among surrounding structures that are largely without plaster or paint. But residents said it had undergone several additions. “It was originally a two-storey structure. Around two years ago, the owner demolished the second floor to build two more. This year, two more floors were added,” said Saalam (42), who lives next door.Residents also pointed to an adjoining three-storey building that tilted earlier. Its owner informed police, following which an audit was conducted and authorities ordered its demolition, which started two-three days ago.The first and second floors of the collapsed building were occupied by the owners, their two married sons and families, while the third floor was rented out. The ground floor had the family’s scrap business, said Najma, a relative.Most family members were away during the incident. “The elder daughter-in-law had gone to her parents’ house, while the younger daughter-in-law was offering namaz at a local mosque. The father went to a godown. One son and his mother were rescued in a semi-conscious state,” said Kishore, who runs a shop nearby.The building fell towards an adjoining idgah, where children frequently play. Locals said the toll could have been higher had the time been different.
