New Delhi [India], May 31 (ANI): Nine people have so far been rescued hours after a five-storey building collapsed in South Delhi's Mehrauli police station area, with six people feared to be trapped as a rescue operation is underway, officials said on Saturday night.

Speaking with the media, South Delhi DCP Anant Mittal said that police reached the spot immediately after receiving the information.

He informed that the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), Fire Services, and the Delhi police are engaged in the joint rescue operation.

'A building has collapsed, and right after that, we got a call regarding this. Immediately, maximum staff from the Mehrauli Police Station arrived at the spot, and it was seen that an old building had collapsed. Its debris has fallen on a structure. It is being told that a canteen of some medical students was running there, and some people might be trapped in it. Till now, our staff has rescued around nine people from here... By creating a green corridor, we have evacuated multiple ambulances from here, and right now the rescue efforts are being done by NDRF, DDMA, Fire and Police, and will continue to do so,' he stated.

Suneel Kumar Singh, Commandant, NDRF said, 'Two teams of NDRF are working here, and when we came, we were told that four live victims have been rescued by the local agency... We have done the search with our equipment... As of now, no trace of a live victim or an unconscious dead victim has been found. Now, mechanical efforts have started with JCB. There is a lot of debris. The work of clearing the debris is progressing. If we get some traces of any live victim or unconscious victim, then we will do our job. There is no report of casualties from our side yet.'

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Warden, Headquarters Civil Defence, Dharamvir Sejwal said, 'All of my seniors are here. 5 to 6 people are still trapped. Rescue work is underway. This is a commercial area,' he said.

An eyewitness stated that his aunt is stuck under the debris as the rescue operation is underway.

'Some people must still be stuck there. It was at least a 5-storey building. My aunt is still stuck there,' he said.

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta expressed deep concern over the incident.

In a post on X, the CM wrote, 'Deeply concerned by the building collapse incident near Saket Metro Station. Teams from NDRF, Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Police, DDMA, MCD, CATS and Civil Defence are carrying out rescue operations on a war footing. Every possible effort is being made to safely rescue those trapped and provide immediate assistance to the affected families. The situation is being closely monitored, and all concerned agencies are working in coordination. The safety and well-being of every citizen remain our highest priority.'

https://x.com/gupta_rekha/status/2060761821792055433?s=20

BJP MLA Kartar Singh Tanwar told ANI, 'So far, 10-11 people have been rescued. All are safe. All have been taken to the hospital. The administration is working with full alertness. The rescue operation is underway... There is a possibility that some more people are trapped. So far, there is no information about any casualties.'

BJP MLA Shikha Rai said, 'The administration has worked with great diligence. Due to this, people have been safely evacuated. The rescue operation is ongoing. Everyone is making every effort from their side to safely rescue those who are trapped inside...' (ANI)