7, including 2 children, killed in Delhi after wall collapse caused by heavy rain

At least seven people, including two girls, were killed after a wall collapsed in Hari Nagar, Jaitpur, early Saturday morning (9 August), following heavy overnight rain that lashed the national capital.

"Seven people have died in the wall collapse incident in Harinagar, Jaitpur, including 3 men, 2 women and 2 girls," Delhi police said.

According to police, the incident occurred near an old temple where several scrap dealers lived in adjacent jhuggies. The sudden collapse of the wall, weakened by heavy rain, trapped eight residents. All were rescued and rushed to hospital, but several were in critical condition and later succumbed to their injuries.

Additional DCP (South East) Aishwarya Sharma said, "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 incident occurs in future."

The initial emergency notification described the incident as a "building collapse," but subsequent investigation confirmed it was a wall collapse. Authorities have since cleared the area and relocated residents from the vulnerable structures nearby.

The collapse came as Delhi experienced intense rainfall since late Friday night, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a red alert for the day in most parts of the capital, warning of heavy rain accompanied by lightning and thunderstorms.

Waterlogging severely disrupted traffic in several areas, including Panchkuian Marg, Mathura Road, Shastri Bhawan, RK Puram, Moti Bagh, and Kidwai Nagar. The downpour, which began around 11 pm on Friday, continued into Saturday morning, affecting both vehicular movement and daily activities across the city.

Authorities have urged residents in low-lying and structurally unsafe areas to remain vigilant as more heavy rain is forecast.