At least seven people have died after a five-storey student hostel collapsed in the Indian capital Delhi on Sunday. The incident took place in south-west Delhi’s Satya Niketan, close to the south campus of the University of Delhi. The area is densely populated, housing a large number of students in private hostels. Delhi Police said the building may have been host to as many as 75 beds, with many students present at the time of the collapse at around 1.30pm local time on Sunday. The Hostel Daze building was between 40 and 50 years old and undergoing renovations in the basement at the time.Dramatic CCTV footage captured the moment the building collapsed. Seen from a building across the road, the video shows a man sitting outside the building near a stall, as chunks of debris start to fall. A dangerous web of tangled overhead electrical wires moves rapidly, and within seconds the entire building comes crashing down. The man could be seen rushing from the spot, and it is unclear if he escaped unscathed. Locals described feeling a “sudden tremor" as the building came crashing down. A large crowd gathered, at the scene later on Sunday alongside dozens of emergency responders. Eye-witnesses said they heard cries for help coming from under the building’s debris. In another video shared online, a person was seen wedged under a concrete slab, with locals struggling to lift it. Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta said an "accumulation of water, combined with ongoing repair work in the basement" of the building led to the collapse.At least 12 people were rescued and sent to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), said the Delhi police. Authorities were struggling to reach the collapse site with specialised equipment, with narrow lanes making it difficult to access.Prime minister Narendra Modi issued a condolence message, calling the incident "distressing".The search and rescue operations have now entered the second day, with several rescue agencies including the National Disaster Response Force, Delhi Fire Service, Delhi Police, along with dog squads looking for more survivors.Rescue personnel conduct a search operation for survivors at the site of a building collapse in the Satya Niketan area in New Delhi on 6 September 2026 (AFP/Getty)Fire officer Abhilash Malik said about 30 to 40 people remained trapped in the rubble. Lawmaker Anil Sharma said some people had been rescued and several others trapped inside were making phone calls for help while rescuers remained in contact with them. "We are even getting calls from those who are trapped inside. Teams are continuously in touch with those who are trapped inside; we pray to god that all people are safe," a police official said, reported India Today.One of the trapped students, Neeraj Bawa, called his friend Anmol Yadav, pleading for help as he shared his live location. He was subsequently rescued and taken to AIIMS, with injuries impacting his lower body. Paramedics prepare stretchers as rescue personnel conduct a search operation for survivors at the site of a building collapse in the Satya Niketan area in New Delhi on 6 September 2026 (AFP/Getty)"The collapse of a building at Satya Niketan, Delhi, is distressing. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured. Authorities are working at the site and assisting those affected in the mishap," the Prime Minister's Office wrote on X, quoting Mr Modi.Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta has ordered a magisterial inquiry, and Delhi Police filed a preliminary chargesheet against the owner of the building, identified as Hariram Bansal, a resident of Gurugram. He was arrested in Rajasthan’s Bhiwadi after Delhi police issued a Look Out Circular against him. "Every possible effort is being made to safely rescue those trapped," she added. Rescue personnel conduct a search operation for survivors at the site of a building collapse in the Satya Niketan area in New Delhi on 6 September 2026 (AFP/Getty)Officials are also looking into the circumstances of the collapse, including violations in construction and whether repair work was being carried out illegally at the premises. While works were ongoing at the building at the time of the collapse, investigators were also looking into whether repeated waterlogging could have led to the weakening of the structure, reported the Times of India, with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi looking into the matter. People clear debris as rescue personnel conduct a search operation for survivors at the site of a building collapse in the Satya Niketan area in New Delhi on 6 September 2026 (AFP/Getty)“The building owner, contractor and labourers will be interrogated,” an investigator told the newspaper. “MCD’s immediate priority is the rescue operation,” said the mayor Pravesh Wahi, who inspected the site. “It is too early to determine whether any construction or repair work was underway when the building collapsed, as the entire structure is buried under debris.” The municipal corporation of the city has also directed the sealing of illegal constructions which exceed four floors. At least five officials have been suspended in the wake of the incident, including a deputy commissioner from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. “We took this decision after giving it serious and careful consideration. We also received instruction from our chief minister in this regard and all our officials are working with sensitivity,” said mayor Pravesh Wahi on the suspension of deputy commissioner Rakesh Kumar and four engineers. Several colleges of Delhi University, including Maitreyi College, Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, Gargi College, Venkateshwar College and Jesus and Mary College arranged shelters for the affected students, whose students also take accommodation in the locality.Priyanka, identified by her first name by Press Trust of India, said that “many houses have been converted into boys' PGs, with the owners shifting elsewhere”. Security personnel stand guard along a street as rescue personnel conduct a search operation at the site following a building collapse in the Satya Niketan area in New Delhi on 6 September 2026 (AFP/Getty)"The whole of Satya Niketan is full of PGs, and hardly 30 per cent of the house owners actually live here," she said told the news agency."Even the gutters and sewers here are open. There were many students trapped inside the building. Since it was raining, most of them were in their rooms, while some had gone home as it was the weekend," Priyanka, who has been living there for past two decades, said.The collapse has triggered a protest from the student wing of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party against the Delhi civic authorities. Members of the body, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, gathered at Delhi Civic Centre, demanding the resignation of the Commissioner of Delhi’s municipal corporation, alleging negligence and failure to ensure safety compliance. The student body also demanded a safety audit of all paid guest accommodation used by students. The president of the National Students’ Union of India – a student body of the opposition Congress party – demanded accountability from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Security personnel cordon off the area as a bulldozer clears debris at the site following a building collapse in the Satya Niketan area in New Delhi (AFP/Getty)"The situation is extremely grave. Rescue operations are ongoing, and conditions are dire,” said NSUI president Vinod Jakhar. “Almost all the students being pulled out are dead. We tried our best to get those students out; we actually succeeded in rescuing about three of them.”“Had the medical facilities, medical teams, police, and fire brigade arrived on time, had all necessary resources and responsible officials been present promptly, perhaps more students could have been saved.“Our only demand is justice for the students... Several of our colleagues have also sustained serious injuries... There is absolutely no accountability.”