65 killed after building collapses in New Delhi

At least 65 people were killed and 80 more were injured after a multi-storey building collapsed in New Delhi late last night. The 15-year-old building housing about 200 people – mostly migrant workers and their families – collapsed yesterday evening in New Delhi's congested Lalita Park area. About 30 people are believed still trapped under the rubble.

We spoke to Fr. Dominic Emmanuel, spokesman for the Delhi Catholic Archdiocese says that poor construction material and inadequate foundations are often to blame for building collapses in India.

“People are so desperate to find a roof over their head that they don’t bother about the engineering defects or what is required”, he said. Asked whether the most recent disaster would force a change in building standards, he says “once in a while, these things happen, there will be a lot of noise about it, and then they will go back to their old ways.”