A body was recovered from the rubble of a collapsed building in northeast Delhi’s Harsh Vihar on Monday morning, after a rescue operation began following the collapse in the Milan Garden area on Sunday evening.

The incident prompted a multi-agency response, with teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Fire Services, police and Civil Defence working to clear the debris and search for people feared trapped beneath it.

Delhi Fire Services received a distress call at 6.46 pm on Sunday and sent five fire tenders to the site.

Delhi ministers Kapil Mishra and Ashish Sood visited the site on Sunday night as rescue efforts continued.

Mishra said two people, reportedly a father and son, were believed to be trapped after a structural failure during construction work. He said the circumstances leading to the collapse would be investigated.

According to Mishra, the initial assessment suggested that workers were attempting to install a new lintel when it gave way, causing the floor below to collapse as well.

Additional DCP Sandeep Lamba said the building was an old, single-storey structure on which another floor was being constructed.

He also pointed to the difficulties faced by rescue personnel, explaining that the closely packed surroundings made it difficult to identify the exact building involved.

Rescue personnel from multiple agencies worked together to remove debris from the site. Residents also joined the efforts to clear the rubble.

A local resident suggested that the collapse may have occurred while a concrete slab was being laid for the additional floor. The resident claimed the existing lower slab was weak and gave way, bringing down the newly constructed slab above it.

The exact cause of the collapse remains to be established through an investigation.

With agency inputs