Basement work and pooled water cited after Satya Niketan PG collapse

A five-storey student accommodation building known as Hostel Daze collapsed near Satya Niketan on Sunday, as basement work was under way, residents said.

The structure stood in a dense pocket near Delhi University’s South Campus, where private hostels, eateries and shops line the streets. Rajen Chhetri, a local resident who works with Delhi Police, said water had begun collecting in the basement and described the building’s foundation as weak. He said the PG had around 15 rooms, generally shared by two or three students, and that beds rented for about Rs 12,000 a month.

Police received a PCR call at South Campus police station at 1.34pm. Eight fire tenders and multiple rescue teams were sent to the site. Residents also began clearing concrete and debris before formal rescue arrangements were in place.

Estimates of the number inside varied. Residents said between 35 and 60 students may have been in the building, many of them from Kerala, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and studying at nearby colleges. Rescue operations were already under way near DU South Campus, and six people were reported rescued.

Residents also said an adjacent building appeared to be leaning. One called for structural verification of older multi-storey properties with basements across Satya Niketan.