New Delhi, May 2 -- In a tragic incident, a 28-year-old woman and her three children died when their house collapsed after a tree fell on it.
The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) received 98 emergency calls throughout the night, indicating a high-alert situation for rescue services.
In the most severe incident, a house collapsed in the Jaffarpur area at approximately 5:24 a.m. due to a tree falling on a tubewell room. Three fire tenders were immediately dispatched to the scene.
DFS personnel, upon arrival, discovered several individuals trapped under the debris. A rescue operation was swiftly conducted, and the victims were rushed to Rao Tula Ram Hospital by PCR and CATS ambulances.
Tragically, four family members lost their lives in the collapse. Jyoti (28) Aryan (7) Rishabh (5) and 7-month-old Baby Priyansh were declared dead. The sole survivor, Ajay (30) sustained injuries to his chest and wrist and is currently receiving treatment. The attending doctor at Rao Tula Ram Hospital, Dr. Neeraj, confirmed the casualties and injuries.
In a separate incident around the same time, the Chhawla Police Station received a PCR call reporting a wall collapse at House No. 65, Village Paparawat near Prahlad Mandir, in the Dwarka district.
This second collapse led to injuries to three individuals, Omprakash (41) his son Love (13) and Saurabh (15).
Fortunately, all three were quickly transported to Rao Tula Ram Hospital and are reported to be out of danger with no serious injuries.
The DFS was under significant pressure, responding to 98 emergency calls throughout the night of May 2, according to a manually recorded log of calls made every hour from midnight to 9:27 a.m. The highest number of calls was received between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m., totaling 21. Authorities are investigating both incidents, while rescue services continue to be on high alert amid ongoing weather-related threats.
The city received 77 mm rain in just three hours during the downpour which started around 5 am. Visuals from several areas showed uprooted trees and people stuck in waterlogged roads. Videos surfaced on social media which showed half-submerged vehicles wading though Minto Road.
Major Somnath Marg in RK Puram, Minto Road and Khanpur were particularly affected in the rain.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert, urging people to remain extremely vigilant and take necessary precautions.
"We are dealing with the sins of the last decade. It will take time to undo the damage, but change has started, and people are noticing the difference," PWD minister Parvesh Verma said.
The Public Works Department (PWD) claimed swift resolution, with over 90 per cent of complaints addressed within two hours on Friday morning.
Strong winds that accompanied the rain uprooted between 100 and 200 trees across the national Capital.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi received 53 complaints of fallen trees, the New Delhi Municipal Council 24 such incidents, while the Public Works Department reported getting at least 200 complaints of uprooting of trees/branches.
Experts blame a rampant concretisation of the tree bases for the trees' fragility.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.