Partial house collapse in Delhi's Harsh Vihar leaves two feared trapped

A partially built house in the Milan Garden neighbourhood of Harsh Vihar, northeast Delhi, collapsed on Sunday evening, leaving at least two people feared trapped under the debris. The Delhi Fire Service received the distress call at 6:46 pm and immediately deployed six fire tenders. Police, rescue squads and the National Disaster Response Force rushed to the site to start searching for survivors. The two missing persons are identified as the building contractor and his father, according to fire officials. A senior police officer said the ground floor of the structure was an older building while the owners were adding a new first floor, but investigators have not yet determined why the collapse occurred. The owner has been located and legal action against him has been opened, though details were not disclosed. This accident adds to a recent spate of building failures in Delhi. On October 7 a collapse in New Seemapuri, linked to demolition work and vibrating machines, killed four people. A multi‑storey boys’ hostel fell on September 6, causing seven deaths, including five Delhi University students. Earlier, on May 30, a building in south Delhi’s Saidulajab collapsed, killing six people, among them five doctors and engineers, with illegal construction suspected. ## Context These incidents highlight ongoing concerns about lax enforcement of construction norms and inadequate oversight of building safety in the capital.