20 killed, 40 injured as building collapses in Delhi

At least 20 people were killed and 40 others injured when a four-storey residential building collapsed in east Delhi tonight, police and hospital authorities said.60 people were rescued from the building in congested Lalita Park area of Laxmi Nagar, but scores of others are still feared to be trapped, a senior police official said.Fourteen bodies were brought to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital, two to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital and four to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, health minister Kiran Walia said.

Twenty injured each have been taken to LBS and GTB hospitals. RA Gautam, medical superintendent of LBS, four of the injured admitted there are in a critical condition.Fire brigade, police and MCD officials were engaged in the rescue operation and removal of debris with the help of local residents.Finance minister AK Walia, who rushed to the spot, said the foundation of the old building could have weakened due to the heavy rains in the Monsoon season when water of the Yamuna river flooded the area.Locals said some water was still there in the basement of the building. Some residents also claimed that construction of an extra floor was going on when the incident took place. Many of the injured were labourers."Such a large building just went down in minutes," an eyewitness said.People gathered in large numbers in the area. Locals complained that initially there were no power and no cranes to help in the rescue efforts. Ambulances and PCR jeeps were seen rushing the injured persons to hospitals.Two of the floors of the building housed the offices of a cloth exporting firm and snacks item distributor.