Three civil services aspirants died after heavy rain caused the basement of a civil service coaching centre to flood in central Delhi’s Old Rajinder Nagar area on Saturday.

The Delhi Fire Department (DFS) received a call about waterlogging from the Rao IAS Study Centre at around 7 pm.

“A total of five fire tenders were rushed to the site. The basement was full of water,” an official said.

The bodies of two female students and a male student were retrieved from the site during the rescue operation by the NDRF, local police and fire department, the official added.

The identities of the deceased were not revealed by the authorities.

A case has been registered against the coaching institute. Deputy Commissioner of Police (central) M Harsha Vardhan said, “Case registered under sections 105, 106 (1), 115 (2), 290 and 35 of BNS. This case is against the coaching institute and the management of the building and those who were responsible for the maintenance of the drain of that place. So far we have detained the owner and coordinator of that coaching centre...further investigation is underway.”

Meanwhile, students held a protest over the deaths of the civil services aspirants, raising slogans against authorities.