The incident occurred in the district of Lalita, a tangle of narrow streets and densely populated areas, impeding rescue work. Dozens of people are still trapped under concrete and iron. About 80 people were injured.

New Delhi (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The building collapsed like a house of cards, according to witnesses. "I saw people on top of the building clinging to pieces of the wall. Others wanted to jump, but they couldn’t. Others are still trapped, "says Gurwinder Singh, a taxi driver who found himself on the spot at the time of the collapse. The building, located in Laxmi Nagar, caved in shortly after 8pm last night (local time).

The four-storey building, built fifteen years ago, was inhabited in large part by immigrant workers, two floors housed a dressmaking workshop and offices of various kinds. According to some the building structure may have been weakened by rain (it's the monsoon season), which has been particularly strong and constant in recent days.

Immediate rescue attempts were carried out by local residents, who dug with their bare hands through the rubble to rescue people trapped, later they were joined by firemen and police with dogs to locate the place where victims are still buried under the rubble. Ambulances and fire vehicles had difficulty reaching the site, and were often blocked in the narrow streets. "I think the accident is due to the negligence of the company that built the building," says Sheila Dikshit, Minister for the territory of Delhi. Mrs. Dikshit added that a building may have been constructed without the necessary permits, and without checks, and that an investigation will be opened to identify the culprits.

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