New Delhi:

Three students, who were trapped for over four hours after water suddenly entered a basement at a popular coaching centre in West Delhi, have died, police said.

Visuals from Rajendra Nagar showed the basement of Rau’s IAS Study Circle completely flooded on Saturday. Fire brigade officials said they received a call about students being stuck in the basement at 7.19 pm on Saturday and five fire engines were dispatched to assist in rescue operations. 

The bodies of two female students were pulled out hours after the rescue operation began. The body of the third student, a male, was recovered later into the night.

“The bodies have been sent to the hospital for further legal action. Rescue operations are still underway. The water is being pumped out. There is still about 7 feet of water in the basement… I request the student community to not come here and hamper the rescue services. We share their pain but coming here to the spot is not the solution. It will hamper the rescue services,” Deputy Commissioner Of Police (Central Delhi) M Harshavardhan said.

Delhi Fire chief Atul Garg said that rescue operations are still on to find anyone else suspected to be trapped in the basement. Earlier, he said reports suggested that only 3 students were trapped while 30 others had escaped the flooded basement.

#WATCH | Delhi: On the Old Rajender Nagar incident, DCP Central M Harshavardhan says, “… The bodies have been sent to the hospital for further legal action. Rescue operations are still underway. The water is being pumped out. There is still about 7 feet of water in the… pic.twitter.com/37un19ApIJ

— ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2024

The incident comes days after a UPSC aspirant was electrocuted while trying to cross a waterlogged street in Patel Nagar, which is also in West Delhi. 

In a post on X, Delhi Public Works Department Minister Atishi said the basement got flooded after heavy rain and the local AAP MLA, Durgesh Pathak has reached the coaching centre, and so has the mayor, Shelly Oberoi. 

“There is news of an accident due to heavy rain in Delhi in the evening. There is news of water flooding the basement of a coaching institute in Rajendra Nagar. The Delhi Fire Department and NDRF are at the spot. The Delhi Mayor and local MLA are also there. I am taking updates of the incident every minute,” she wrote in Hindi.  

The minister, who said in the post that anyone found guilty would not be spared, has also written to the Delhi chief secretary and asked him to ensure a magisterial inquiry is initiated immediately. She has sought a report within 24 hours. 

‘Avoidable Tragedy’

Hitting out at the AAP government, Bansuri Swaraj, BJP MP from the New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, who also reached the coaching centre, said the tragedy could have been avoided.

“Dedicated workers from the BJP repeatedly asked Durgesh Pathak to ensure that the sewers in this area are cleaned and de-silted. If that had been done, this tragedy would not have happened. You can see there’s 2-3 foot of water on the road, which inundated the basement. People are saying divers had to go in, so you can imagine how bad the situation is. The AAP government, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and MLA Durgesh Pathak are responsible for the tragedy and the death,” she said.

Mr Pathak said a drain or sewer seemed to have exploded, leading to the flooding. On the BJP’s allegations, he said the party’s councillors were in power in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi for 15 years but did not get drains constructed. “This is not the time for politics. The focus now is on saving the students,” the MLA said.