'He was to come home for holidays': Dreams cut short as Delhi building collapse kills two friends

KApil, 28, was hopeful nigh making it to the sought-after Bhabha Atomic search Centre (BARC) on sat after his question had gone well. He gathered five of his friends for a small celebration at a canteen in Delhi's Saidulajab area in the evening, his friends told news agency PTI.But celebration turned into tragedy when a multi-storey building collapsed and the debris crashed onto the tin-shed canteen that is frequented by students preparing for competitive examinations such as Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE), National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE). Kapil died, along with his friend Nalin Ray, both former students of Muzaffarpur Institute of Technology (MIT) in Bihar and later associated with a coaching institute in Delhi.Celebration turns into tragedy"Kapil had called his friends because his interview had gone very well. They were sitting together in the canteen when the building collapsed," a friend was quoted as saying.Kapil reportedly died during treatment at the hospital.At least six people have so far been killed in the building collapse near Delhi's Saket Metro Station and several others are injured. The incident took place at around 7:30 pm on Saturday.Also read: She fed them, cared for them, died trying to save them: Saket students mourn canteen owner ParvatiNalin, 23, a resident of Nawada district in Bihar, had recently completed his BTech and was preparing for GATE. Family members were quoted as saying that he was planning to return home during his upcoming break and had spoken normally with them earlier in the day."Everything was normal. He was telling us that he would come home during the holidays," his uncle, Baikunth Nath, who lives in Gurugram, was quoted as saying. Nalin's friends called Nath at around 8pm and informed him about the building collapse.Waited nearly 8 hrs for nephew at crash siteNath rushed to the spot immediately and stayed their till 5 am hoping Nalin would be found. "But he could not be located," he said, adding that no one from the rescue team had reached the spot when he arrived.He said he returned home after 5 am as his phone died, and soon after, he was informed that his nephew's body had been found and taken to the AIIMS trauma centre, where he was declared brought dead.Relatives said Nalin had sustained severe head injury.Kin of those admitted at AIIMS trauma centre said that many of those trapped suffered fatal head wounds after being struck by falling debris.Most suffered head injuriesKapil was among the first reported casualties, along with another 24-year-old man identified as Ravi, who suffered severe injuries after an iron rod pierced through his chest.Witnesses recalled hearing cracking sounds moments before the structure gave way.“We first thought it was an earthquake. Glass panes started shaking and then we heard loud cracking noises from the building. The structure tilted and collapsed almost all at once,” a local resident involved in rescue efforts was quoted as saying.Several locals also alleged that their inputs regarding possible locations of trapped victims were initially ignored by rescue teams."We kept telling them to check specific spots where people could be trapped. Locals rescued eight to nine people before specialised teams arrived," a resident claimed.The collapse reduced the commercial structure to rubble, with debris crushing the adjoining canteen. The building housed coaching institutes, cafes and offices, while construction work was underway on an upper floor.National Disaster Relief Force, Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Disaster Management Authority, police and local volunteers undertook the rescue operations through the night before all the trapped persons were accounted for.Authorities have initiated an inquiry, and the exact cause of the collapse is yet to be ascertained.