‘No Warning’: Satya Niketan PG Collapse Survivor Recalls 90 Minutes Trapped Under Rubble

Nitish Chib was having breakfast with his friend in their second-floor room at a boys' hostel in Delhi's Satya Niketan when the five-storey building suddenly collapsed on September 6. The second-year B Com student was trapped under the rubble for nearly an hour and a half before rescuers pulled him out.

Chib was in room 201 with his friend Neeraj, a resident of Kathua, when the decades-old building in southwest Delhi came down without warning. Seven people were killed and several others injured in the collapse. Chib, a student at Delhi University's Motilal Nehru College, survived with injuries to his head, left shoulder and left leg.

"There was no warning, and we had no idea that anything like this was going to happen. Suddenly, the entire building collapsed, and we got trapped underneath. We could hear each other but could not see each other," he said.

Chib and Neeraj were eating breakfast when the building collapsed, PTI reported. Buried under the rubble, the two could hear each other but were unable to see one another.

Neeraj's mobile phone became their means of contacting people outside. Chib used it to contact their seniors and send them their location, following which a rescue operation was launched.

Chib said he remained trapped for nearly one and a half hours before rescuers pulled him out. He was first taken to a nearby hospital and later shifted to another hospital for treatment. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta also visited him there.

Neeraj was rescued later and remains critical. He has undergone surgeries, while doctors have expressed hope that he will recover, Chib said.

Students Among Those Killed

Chib moved to Delhi last August for his studies at Motilal Nehru College. He said around nine to 10 students were staying in the building when it collapsed.

He was paying Rs 15,000 a month for his room on the second floor. Two students were staying in each room, making the combined rent around Rs 30,000, he said.

Several students known to Chib were among those who died. He said some were first-year students and several second-year students were also killed, while some others remain critical.

"Some were first-year students. Among the second-year students, several have died. I do not know the exact number, but six to seven deaths have been reported from among those I knew, while some others are still critical," he said.

PTI reported that the collapse killed seven people and injured several others.

Survivor Calls For Safety Checks

Chib also raised questions over the safety of PG accommodations and whether stricter inspections could have prevented the collapse.

"If the government had earlier ordered that the PG buildings be checked and declared safe, this could have been prevented. What happened to us should not happen to anyone else," he said.

Chib's mother, Sushma, rushed to Delhi after receiving a call informing her about the building collapse.

"We booked tickets and travelled in different flights so that the family members could reach him as quickly as possible," she said.

Sushma reached the hospital at around 9.30 pm on Sunday and found her son receiving treatment. She said the situation became even more distressing after she saw other injured students and learnt that several students had died in the tragedy.