Trapped beneath rubble in darkness for more than an hour and a half, second-year Delhi University student Nitish Chib could hear only the voice of his friend as they waited to be rescued after a five-storey building in Delhi’s Satya Niketan collapsed on Sunday, killing seven people.

Nitish, a student of Motilal Nehru College (Evening), said he and his friend feared they would not survive. Unable to see each other under the debris, the two searched for signs of life while his friend repeatedly contacted their seniors and shared their location in the hope that help would reach them.

‘We Felt We Won’t Survive’

Nitish had been living in the Satya Niketan building for around a year and was with his friend when the structure collapsed at about 1.15 pm on Sunday.

Police received information about the incident at around 1.34 pm.

Recalling the moments before the collapse, Nitish said he first heard what appeared to be water leaking inside the building.

“There was some sound of water leakage and then after some time the building collapsed,” he told India Today.

Buried beneath the rubble, Nitish said he could hear his friend making frantic calls to their seniors and informing them about their location.

“We felt we won’t survive. Our seniors arrived and we were rescued with the help of NDRF teams,” Nitish said.

Student Sustained Injuries In Collapse

Nitish was eventually rescued with injuries to his head, shoulder and legs.

He was taken to AIIMS for treatment and was discharged a few days later.

Nitish has since returned to Jammu as he continues to recover from the incident.

Survivor Raises Questions Over Basement Work

As the investigation into the collapse continues, Nitish has raised questions about work that was allegedly being carried out in the building before it came down.

“There was some digging work going on in the basement. But the landlord didn’t warn us. There has been a lapse on the part of the government,” he said.

The basement had reportedly been undergoing repair work for eight to 10 days after waste and water accumulated there following several days of rain.

Three truckloads of debris were dumped into the basement to raise its level to that of the ground floor.

Student Highlights Delhi’s Accommodation Crisis

Nitish also pointed to the shortage of affordable and regulated student accommodation in Delhi.

“We were paying Rs 15,000 for one bed. There are no hostels in colleges,” he said.

He called for regular safety audits of paying guest accommodations and the construction of more hostels in Delhi University colleges.

Family Rushed To Delhi After Hearing Of Collapse

Nitish’s mother said the family began its ordeal as soon as they learnt that he was trapped inside the collapsed building.

“The moment I received the news, I immediately left for Delhi. When I reached Delhi, I was relieved to know that my son was rescued,” she said.

She said the Delhi Chief Minister met the family, expressed regret over the incident and assured them of all possible assistance.

According to Nitish’s mother, the Chief Minister also assured the family that such a tragedy would not happen again.

Several Arrested As Investigation Continues

Police have arrested building owner Hariram Gupta’s son, Mahesh, labour contractor Sanoj Kumar and paying guest accommodation operator Lovneesh in connection with the building collapse.

Hariram Gupta, 81, and his wife Urmila, 75, are also in judicial custody.

Police said Tyagi and Lovneesh had been operating the PG accommodation under the name “Hostel Daze” after taking four floors of the building on lease in August 2025 for a monthly rent of Rs 1.05 lakh.

Tyagi is absconding, according to police, and teams have been sent to Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and several other locations to trace and arrest him.

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