‘1, 2, 3, uthaaa … ’: The cries, chaos and courage that defined the Satya Niketan rescue | Delhi News

Residents continued clearing smaller debris by hand alongside professional rescuers, desperately trying to reach voices coming from beneath the concrete.

NEW DELHI: “1, 2, 3, uthaaa.” The rescuers shouted in unison as they tried to lift a massive concrete slab trapping a student at the Satya Niketan building collapse site. A cushion lay between the youth’s face and the slab, while the rest of his body remained buried under the debris. The concrete was too heavy to be moved in one go.Around them, residents, students and rescuers were doing whatever they could to reach those trapped inside the collapsed building. Mattresses, shoes, clothes and other belongings were strewn across the rubble as the rescue effort unfolded.A human chain was formed to clear the debris by hand. Some residents even ordered oxygen cylinders through quick-commerce apps and tried to pump oxygen through gaps in the rubble to help those trapped breathe while they waited for heavy machinery to arrive. The rubble was also cleared to create a path for rescuers and prevent the operation from slowing down.“When the structure collapsed, students started to immediately clear the debris. The ones who were trapped were screaming ‘bachao, bachao humein’. Six to seven students have been rescued. More are trapped inside,” said Rajiv Kumar, 42.Rescue operation

The building housed a boys’ paying guest accommodation near Delhi University’s South Campus and collapsed around 1.30pm on Sunday while repair work was underway, according to PTI.By Monday, the death toll had risen to seven, while 12 people had been rescued from the debris as the search and rescue operation entered its second day, PTI reported.NDRF inspector general Narendra Bundela said the federal contingency force did not have a “specific figure” on the number of people who could still be trapped under the debris. The rescue operation involving the NDRF and sister agencies from the Delhi government was expected to continue till late Monday, he said.The scale of the collapse also prompted the University of Delhi to assess how many of its students were living in Satya Niketan.Professor Rajni Abbi, director of the University of Delhi South Campus, said the university was still trying to determine the exact number of students residing in the building.“The exact number of people inside the building is not known yet. We have asked all colleges to assess how many of their students are residing in Satya Niketan,” Abbi said.She said colleges had also been asked to ensure the safety of students living in the area and call them back to their respective campuses.“A call was received from inside the debris, and there has been a video call from within. Our prime concern is that the children come out safely,” she said.Ram, a resident, said the collapse occurred around 1.20pm and that the NDRF arrived first with 11–12 personnel.Residents also raised questions about the structure itself. Ram said the building had no pillars and claimed that several houses in Satya Niketan were old structures in which additional floors had subsequently been added.“In the Satya Niketan area, many houses do not have pillars. These are old buildings, constructed when Satya Niketan was first developed, and floors have since been added to these structures. In the building that collapsed, some work was on in the basement. Water had accumulated there,” he said.The rescue effort also drew student groups from across Delhi University. DUSU president Aryan Maan said he reached the spot “within ten minutes” and assembled ABVP volunteers from South Campus to help clear the debris and evacuate survivors.NSUI and AISA teams also reached the site. NSUI president Vinod Jakhar said he rushed there after learning that an organisation member was trapped inside.“I reached as soon as I could and found an absence of immediate civic administration, police, or fire response. Student volunteers manually hauled away concrete slabs, managing to pull three victims out, saving two lives. One resident had died,” Jakhar said.Student groups also used their digital networks to circulate helpline numbers and other information as the rescue operation continued.Meanwhile, Delhi Police apprehended Hariram, the owner of the collapsed building, from Bhiwadi in Rajasthan following a multi-state manhunt involving 10 teams, according to ANI.Police had earlier issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against him after he went untraceable following the collapse. Further examination of Gupta is currently underway, ANI reported.The human effort at the site continued alongside the work of professional rescue teams, with residents clearing smaller pieces of debris by hand and trying to reach voices coming from beneath the concrete.At the AIIMS JPN Apex Trauma Centre, 11 patients were received following the collapse, PTI reported.“Out of the 11 patients, five were brought dead, while one patient who was in critical condition later succumbed to his injuries; three patients have been admitted and are being treated. One patient underwent limb surgery. One patient had sustained a minor injury and was discharged after observation,” AIIMS said in a statement.The rescue operation, which began amid dust, unstable concrete and uncertainty over how many people remained trapped, continued into its second day as teams searched through the decades-old structure for survivors.Recent incidents in 2026

(With agency inputs)