Boy trapped under Satya Niketan rubble had shifted to hostel a week earlier

Aditya Kumar. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement When the five-storeyed building he was staying in collapsed in southwest Delhi’s Satya Niketan, 19-year-old Aditya Kumar had been living in the hostel for only a week. Trapped under the rubble, he made a 10-second video and sent it to a friend to let him know that he was alive and needed help.On September 6, a Sunday afternoon, Aditya was having lunch in his room on the fourth floor when the building collapsed, trapping him under the rubble. As many as 12 persons were pulled out from under the debris, seven of whom died.While the rescue operation was under way, the video made by Aditya went viral. Despite his location being tracked, it took rescuers four hours to pull him out.“I could not figure out what had actually happened initially. A moment ago, I was talking to my friend from across the plywood that separated our rooms and the next thing I knew, I was covered in dust and immobile,” Aditya said.A first-year B.Com student at Atma Ram Sanatan Dharam College, Aditya had arrived in Delhi from Bihar a month earlier. He had spent his first month in a PG in Mukherjee Nagar before shifting to Satya Niketan a week before the incident.“My parents are farmers. I came to the city alone, spending my first month here in a PG in Mukherjee Nagar. The college was closer from Satya Niketan, so I shifted here just a week ago. At that time, the building seemed new and no faults were visible. All my seniors who stayed there did not flag anything serious,” he said.The collapse caused a huge slab to fall on his left hand, while his entire body was covered with concrete.“Only my head was saved. My entire body was trapped under huge slabs. A drum that came in between the concrete that fell over me and the concrete I was lying on created a gap that prevented me from getting crushed completely. I could move my right hand because of it. I found my phone lying beside me. I picked it up, manoeuvred it slowly in my hand to open the WhatsApp camera, made a video and sent it to my friend. He immediately got my location and sent it on our college group for help,” Aditya said.He was rescued around four hours later.“I had sent the video at around 2 p.m. and I was rescued around 6 p.m. After rescue, I was taken to AIIMS Trauma Centre. My left hand has received fractures and there are stitches above my left eye. After three days in hospital, my parents brought me back home,” he said.“My mother is too worried and does not want me to go back. The doctors have advised me three months’ rest,” he added.With classes under way, Mr. Kumar will have to miss the entire first semester. “The college principal was supportive and said that right now I should only focus on my recovery. Classes and attendance will be taken care of,” he said. Published - September 24, 2026 11:51 pm IST