Eight people, including two children, died after a portion of a wall collapsed in Delhi amid heavy rain on Saturday. The incident happened in Hari Nagar, located in the Jaitpur area of south-east Delhi.
The people, mostly scrap sellers, living in jhuggis were trapped after the wall adjoining an old temple collapsed suddenly. The injured were rushed to Safdarjung Hospital and AIIMS. However, all of them died during treatment.
The deceased have been identified as Shabibul (30), Rabibul (30), Muttu Ali (45), Rubina (25), Dolly (25), Hashibul, Rukhsana (6), and Hasina (7).
Police said the jhuggis have been evacuated to prevent such incidents in future.
"There is an old temple here, and next to it are old jhuggies where scrap dealers live. The wall collapsed due to heavy rain overnight. We have now evacuated these jhuggies so that no such incidents occur in future," senior police officer Aishwarya Sharma said.
The collapse came as Delhi was battered by incessant heavy rain since Friday night, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a red alert for the day.
The intense morning rain on Raksha Bandhan left several areas waterlogged and underpasses flooded. With rain came massive traffic jams as the weekend plans of several Delhi residents went for a toss.
As per the weather department, in the 24 hours till 8.30 am on Saturday, Delhi's primary weather station at Safdarjung recorded 78.7 mm of rainfall while Pragati Maidan registered 100 mm.
The downpour brought much-needed respite for residents from heat and humidity.
However, the prolonged rain saw the Yamuna in Delhi nearing the warning level of 204.50 metres, adding to concerns of possible flooding in low-lying areas. The situation is being closely monitored by the agencies.
