Delhi wall collapse: 3 bodies recovered, rain-related death rises to 8

New Delhi: The bodies of three labourers were pulled from the rubble of a wall that collapsed at a construction site in the Vasant Vihar area on Saturday, amid heavy rain, officials said.

With this, the number of people killed in rain-related incidents in Delhi has climbed to eight.

The under-construction wall collapsed on Friday and the incident was reported to the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) around 5:30 am.

DFS officials stated that the bodies of three labourers have been pulled from the rubble. Two of them have been identified as Santosh Kumar Yadav (19) and Santosh (38). The third labourer remains unidentified.

Cranes were used to clear the debris and water was pumped out of the foundation pit to recover the bodies, which were then taken to Safdarjung Hospital.

A search operation is underway to ensure that no one else is trapped under the rubble. The operation is jointly carried out by teams of National Disaster Response Force, Delhi Disaster Management Authority and civic agencies.

Five people died in rain-related incidents on Friday as the monsoon arrived with a fury, lashing the city with its highest rainfall in a single day of June in 88 years.

The deceased included a cab driver who died after a portion of a canopy at the Delhi airport collapsed, a 39-year-old man who was electrocuted in Rohini's Prem Nagar area and three people who drowned in New Usmanpur and Shalimar Bagh. 

(with inputs from agencies)