New Delhi: Three members of a family had a narrow escape after a portion of an old building collapsed in north Delhi’s Kashmere Gate area on Tuesday, trapping them on the second floor.

The collapse caused the ground floor and the staircase leading to the first floor to cave in completely, leaving the building inaccessible. Police immediately cordoned off the area as the structure appeared unstable and posed a risk of further collapse.

Police reach family trapped on second floor

During an inspection of the damaged structure, police found three family members trapped on the second floor and unable to leave.

With the main staircase unusable, Head Constables Ankur and Anuj Kumar and Constable Praveen Kumar entered an adjoining building to reach the family.

Ankur and Praveen Kumar then made their way to the terrace of the damaged building. Using wooden stairs and planks, they carefully reached the trapped residents and brought all three to safety.

Elderly woman among those rescued

The rescued family members were identified as 78-year-old Lakshmi Devi, her 50-year-old daughter Savita and 43-year-old Hemant Kumar.

Police said the rescue was carried out by the Kashmere Gate police team before other responding agencies, including the Fire Services and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), reached the spot.

The quick response was crucial as the condition of the old structure made the situation potentially dangerous for both the trapped family and rescuers.

Area cordoned off after building collapse

Following the collapse, police restricted access to the surrounding area to prevent any further mishap. The damaged structure remained a concern because of its apparent instability.

The incident once again highlights the risks posed by ageing buildings in densely populated parts of Delhi, where structural failures can leave residents trapped and make rescue operations particularly challenging.

In this case, the police team used an adjoining building and improvised wooden supports to reach the family when the normal access route had become unusable.

The three residents were safely evacuated, bringing a tense rescue operation to a successful conclusion.