NEW DELHI: A three-storey house collapsed in northeast Delhi’s New Seemapuri area on Wednesday afternoon, with several people feared trapped under the debris, officials said.The incident was reported around 3.30pm near Idgah Machhli Mandi in New Seemapuri.Three water tenders and an incident response team were initially rushed to the spot.Rescue and search operations are underway.The incident comes nearly a month after a five-storey building collapsed in southwest Delhi’s Satya Niketan area on September 6, killing seven people.A Delhi Police investigation into the Satya Niketan collapse has since revealed that renovation work carried out around 10 days before the incident allegedly weakened the structure. According to police, the work was carried out on the instructions of Mahesh Gupta and involved levelling the basement with the ground floor by filling it with around three truckloads of construction debris.On the day of the collapse, a wall on the ground floor was allegedly removed to create additional space for a shop. Police said the structural changes, coupled with the additional load in the basement, may have affected the building’s stability.Labour contractor Sanoj Kumar, 35, who was allegedly hired for the renovation work, was arrested after being apprehended from Kasganj in Uttar Pradesh. During questioning, he allegedly told police that Gupta paid him Rs 2,800 per day for the work.The investigation also found that the Satya Niketan building was being used as a paying guest accommodation. PG operator Shudhanshu Lovneesh, 31, was arrested by police.Police said Lovneesh and his associate Shubham Tyagi had taken four floors of the building on lease in August 2025 for Rs 1.05 lakh per month. The property was reportedly rented at a comparatively lower rate because of its dilapidated condition.Investigators have alleged that Lovneesh was aware of the renovation work but remained negligent despite knowing that the structural changes could affect the building’s stability.Seven people were killed in the Satya Niketan collapse on September 6.
