Mustafabad building collapse: a night of horror, a morning of grief 

Sonu Abbasi struggles to grieve for his sister as he focuses on caring for surviving family members.

Sonu Abbasi, 30, has no time to grief for his sister Reshma, 38, who died in the Mustafabad building collapse on Saturday (April 19, 2025).

He was at Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital throughout the day. His brother-in-law, Ahmad Navi, and niece, Aliya, survived the collapse but remain hospitalised with multiple injuries.

“I couldn’t find time to grieve. Even if I grieve, how will I ensure my niece and brother-in-law get treated?” said Mr. Abbasi, struggling to control his tears.

Mr. Abbasi lives in the same lane of Shakti Vihar where the building collapsed. Recalling the incident, he told The Hindu, “I was sleeping in my house when I felt an earthquake-like vibration. I went outside and saw the building had collapsed. I rushed to the spot and found that my sister had somehow managed to come out of the rubble and also pulled her daughter and husband out. But a few minutes later, she collapsed. She was breathless and couldn’t survive.”

Sanjeeda, 56, remains glued to the site. She is the sister of Tehseen (60), the owner of the building, who along with his son Nazeem (30), his son’s wife Shahina (28), and their three children, Anas (6), Afreen (2) and Afan (2), and younger daughter-in-law Chandni (23), died in the mishap.

“I lost my brother and his family while they were deep in sleep. I was here since morning in the hope of seeing them alive... there is nothing more left to say ?” said Ms. Sanjeeda inconsolably.

At the GTB hospital, Shehzad Ahmad keeps running from pillar to post. His sister Rehana (38) and brother-in-law Shahid (45) have survived and are receiving treatment. But both his nephews, Danish (23) and Naved (17), died in the collapse.