Seemapuri building collapse: Pregnant woman called family for water from beneath rubble; death toll rises to 4

The death toll in the tragic Seemapuri building collapse in the Indian capital, New Delhi, rose to four on Thursday (Oct 08) morning. Among the dead is a four-month pregnant woman, who, as per reports, was alive in the immediate aftermath of the building collapse. The woman, identified as 21-year-old Gulafsa, even managed to call her family from beneath the rubble, asking for water. Her call helped rescuers pull her from the rubble of the four-storey residential building, but tragically she died after being taken to the hospital.

The building collapse in Seemapuri comes just a month after a five-storey building housing PGs collapsed in Delhi's Satya Niketan area on September 6, killing 7 people, including students.

Expectant mother perishes in Delhi's latest building collapse

Gulafsa, as per reports, was at her mother's residence near Idgah Machhli Mandi when the building collapsed on Wednesday (Oct 07) afternoon. She was taking a shower on the second floor when the structure came down, trapping her under the debris.

Her relatives said Gulafsa managed to call them from beneath the rubble and tell them that she was in the washroom. The information was then passed on to the rescue teams. Gulafsa's relative Masoom told PTI that the family was deeply worried after receiving the call. “She called us and said she needed water -- her throat was parched. She had been under the rubble for a while and we were very tense,” Masoom said.

Her uncle Saleem said rescuers used the information provided by Gulafsa to estimate her location and cut through the debris to reach her. She was eventually rescued and taken to GTB Hospital, where she died, according to her family.

Gulafsa had been staying at her mother Salma's home for around one-and-a-half months during her pregnancy. She had also brought her five-year-old son with her.

Death toll rises to four

One more body was recovered from the debris on Thursday morning, taking the death toll in the building collapse to four, officials said. Three people, including two children, had earlier been declared dead. One of the deceased was a girl aged around 12 whose identity was yet to be established. Another was Gulafsa. The identity of the third child was also yet to be ascertained.

Eight injured people were rescued and shifted to Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital in Tahirpur. Those identified include Momin Mirja, 56, Abdul Rehman, 28, Devruddin, 28, Salma, 50, Chote, 34, Sakina, 35 and Samad, 30, along with a three-year-old boy.

Rescue teams search for survivors

The four-storey building, spread across around 22 to 25 square yards, collapsed at about 3:15 pm, officials said. North East Delhi DM Ajay Kumar said witnesses reported that demolition work was taking place in an adjacent building and that machinery may have caused vibrations that affected the structure.

DCP Shahdara Rajendra Prasad Meena said police received information about the collapse at around 3:40 pm and that multiple agencies were working at the site. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta directed officials and agencies to maintain coordination and expedite rescue operations. Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa also said the administration was monitoring the situation and providing assistance to affected families.