1 killed as public toilet collapses in north Delhi

NEW DELHI: A 21- year- old man was killed in a building collapse in northwest Delhi’s Jahangirpuri on Wednesday morning. Police said the victim was standing near a toilet building when the roof came down.

Police said the incident took place in the early hours. A passerby informed the police about the collapse.

A senior police officer said that several rescue teams were sent to the spot and the man was taken out from the rubble with the help of firefighters. He was rushed to Babu Jagjivan Ram hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead.

Police said initial investigation suggested the youth was homeless or lived somewhere nearby as the toilet had been closed for years. “The toilet was being used by vagabonds to consume drugs. We have found some cigarettes and other items from the rubble. The public toilet was in a dilapidated condition. Several complaints were made to the civic agencies but no action was taken. We registered a case of negligence at the local police station against unknown persons,” said a senior police officer.

North Delhi municipal cor poration of ficials said the toilet complex had been taken over by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board in December last year.

In a similar incident, a 50-year-old woman was injured after the wall of a community hall collapsed in Mukherjee Nagar area in north Delhi. The incident took place in Dhakka Village and the victim has been identified as Premvati.