Seven people are now confirmed dead after a three-storey building collapsed in central Delhi’s Hauz Qazi area, and rescue teams are still picking through the rubble more than 70 hours after the structure came down. The latest body, recovered on Sunday morning, belonged to a 66-year-old migrant worker from Bihar, and officials have not yet ruled out the possibility that more victims remain trapped under the debris.
The collapse, which happened around 9.45 am on Thursday, November 5, while construction work was underway, has turned into one of the longest rescue operations Delhi has seen in recent years. It has also reopened an old and uncomfortable question about the capital’s ageing buildings, unauthorised construction and who is accountable when a structure fails.
What happened in Hauz Qazi
The building stood near Chawri Bazaar, one of the oldest and most crowded commercial pockets of Old Delhi. It was a three-storey structure, and construction work was in progress when it gave way on Thursday morning. The collapse brought down the entire building in seconds, burying workers and others who were inside or nearby.
Rescue teams from the Delhi Police, the National Disaster Response Force and the Delhi Fire Services reached the spot soon after and have been working in shifts ever since. The operation entered its fourth day on Sunday, with personnel using heavy machinery and hand tools to clear concrete slabs and twisted metal, searching for any sign of life or further bodies.
The death toll has climbed steadily through the week. The seventh victim, identified as Luchhuman Mukhiya, 66, a resident of Darbhanga in Bihar, was pulled from the debris on Sunday. His body was taken to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital for further proceedings. The other six victims have been identified as Sanjeet Kumar, Kishori Sah, Pankaj Sharma, Vipin Ram, Shantu and Dinesh Sah.
Arrests and the police case
Police have arrested four people in connection with the collapse. The building owner, identified as Saimullah alias Ayub, was arrested on Saturday, along with three contractors named Siraj, Tajuddin and Furkan.
An FIR was registered at Hauz Qazi police station on November 5 under sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 290 (negligent conduct with respect to pulling down or repairing buildings), 125(a) (act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The sections chosen by the police matter. Culpable homicide not amounting to murder is a serious charge, and it signals that investigators believe the collapse was not a freak accident but the result of negligence. The investigation will now look at how the construction was being carried out, whether the structure had the required permissions, and whether safety norms were ignored.
Why this collapse matters beyond one building
Hauz Qazi sits in the heart of Old Delhi, where narrow lanes are lined with buildings that are decades old, many of them extended floor by floor over the years. In such neighbourhoods, construction often happens in tight spaces, with little room for heavy machinery or proper scaffolding, and oversight can be patchy.
This is not the first time a building in the capital has collapsed during construction or after unauthorised additions. Each time, the pattern after the tragedy is familiar: arrests, an FIR, a promise of a survey of dangerous buildings, and then, slowly, attention moves on. The Hauz Qazi collapse is a reminder that the risk does not disappear between tragedies. It sits quietly in structures that were built long ago, altered without proper engineering checks, or raised on foundations never designed for the load they now carry.
The human cost here is also a familiar one. The victims were largely workers, including migrants from Bihar who had come to Delhi for daily-wage construction work. For their families, the collapse is not a news event but a loss that will shape the years ahead. The question of compensation, and of who pays it, will follow the investigation.
What happens next
The immediate priority remains the rescue operation. Officials have said the search will continue until the debris is fully cleared and they are satisfied no one else is trapped. That work is slow and painstaking, because rescuers must balance speed with the risk of further collapse in the surrounding rubble.
Once the site is cleared, the focus will shift to the investigation. The police case will examine the construction permissions, the structural condition of the building, and the roles of the owner and the contractors. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi will also face questions about whether the construction was authorised and whether the building had been flagged in any survey of dangerous structures.
For residents of Old Delhi, the wider question is whether this collapse will lead to a genuine safety audit of ageing buildings in the area, or whether it will join the list of tragedies that produced headlines for a week and little else. The answer will depend on what the investigation finds and what the civic authorities do with it.
For now, the rescue teams keep working, and the toll stands at seven. The families of the victims wait for answers, and a crowded Delhi neighbourhood waits to learn whether its buildings are safe.
FAQs
Where did the building collapse in Delhi?
A three-storey building collapsed in the Hauz Qazi area near Chawri Bazaar in central Delhi on Thursday, November 5, around 9.45 am, while construction work was underway.
How many people have died in the Hauz Qazi building collapse?
Seven people have died so far. The latest victim, recovered on Sunday, was Luchhuman Mukhiya, 66, from Darbhanga in Bihar. Rescue teams are still searching the debris.
Who has been arrested in the case?
Police have arrested the building owner, Saimullah alias Ayub, and three contractors, Siraj, Tajuddin and Furkan. An FIR was registered at Hauz Qazi police station on November 5 under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
How long has the rescue operation been going on?
The rescue operation has been underway for more than 70 hours, entering its fourth day on Sunday, November 8, with teams from the Delhi Police, NDRF and Delhi Fire Services at the site.
What caused the building to collapse?
The exact cause is under investigation. Police have registered a case alleging negligence, and the probe will examine construction permissions, structural condition and safety compliance.
The rescue continues at Hauz Qazi, and this story will be updated as officials confirm new details.
