UP house collapses during heavy rains kill six, including four of a family
At least six people died in separate house-collapse incidents in three Uttar Pradesh districts during heavy rains on Sunday, police said. The deaths occurred in Kanpur, Budaun and Ballia, where rain-weakened structures gave way, trapping residents.
In Kanpur district, four members of a family, including three minor daughters, were killed when their kutcha house collapsed in Hirni village under the Saadh police station area. The incident took place around 11 a.m. on Sunday, according to Commissioner of Police Raghubir Lal.
The victims were identified as Mukesh Kumar and his daughters Maya (17), Neetu (7) and Pallavi (5). Another daughter of Kumar, Kajal alias Laxmi, was seriously injured and was admitted to the Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital in Kanpur for treatment. Police said the front portion of the house was completely damaged, while a rear room was partially damaged.
Police, fire brigade personnel and villagers jointly carried out rescue operations. Three fire tenders and a mobile disaster-response vehicle were deployed at the spot. The injured and trapped family members were taken to the Community Health Centre (CHC) at Patara, where four were declared dead. The exact cause of the collapse is under investigation, the police commissioner told PTI.
The family has alleged negligence by authorities. Tej Bahadur Singh, a cousin of Mukesh Kumar, said the family repeatedly called the Saadh police station after the collapse, but the calls initially went unanswered. Singh said villagers had to launch the rescue themselves and worked for nearly two hours to pull out those trapped. The family also claimed that treatment at the Patara CHC was delayed because no doctor was available at the time. They have demanded an impartial inquiry into the alleged lapses and action against those responsible.
In Budaun district, a farmer was killed and his wife injured when the wall of their kutcha house collapsed in Gurgaon village under the Musajhag police station area. The incident occurred late Saturday night amid heavy rain. The deceased was identified as Vinod, 35. Station House Officer Manoj Kumar said Vinod was sleeping with his family when the wall collapsed. Villagers rushed to the spot after hearing the crash and cleared the debris. Vinod had died by the time he was pulled out; his wife, who sustained serious injuries, was taken to a hospital. The body has been sent for post-mortem.
In a separate incident in Ballia district, a six-year-old girl died when a mud wall collapsed on her in Naferpur village under the Chitbaragaon police station area. Police identified the girl as Kirti Rajbhar. She had gone to a grocery store to buy biscuits and was returning home when the wall suddenly collapsed, trapping her underneath. Villagers pulled her out, but she died while being taken to a hospital in Rasra. Kirti, a resident of Nasirpur Kala village, was visiting her maternal grandparents in Naferpur. Her body has been sent for post-mortem.
The incidents highlight the vulnerability of kutcha houses during monsoon rains, which have been widespread across Uttar Pradesh in recent days. Authorities have yet to announce compensation or preventive measures in response to these specific cases.
