People gather after a portion of a dilapidated house collapsed, killing six people, in Mahuli village of Pratapgarh district, Uttar Pradesh (PTI Photo)
Heavy rains turned tragic for a family sleeping together in a room in Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh district, as the roof of their house collapsed following heavy rain in the early hours of Thursday. Six members of the family, including two children, were buried alive under the debris, leaving a lone survivor in the incident that took place around 2 am in the city’s Maholi locality.
The deceased include the head of the family, Pramod Srivastava, 62, his wife Reeta, 56, younger son Nitin, 24, daughter-in-law Madhuri, 23, and Madhuri’s two children – two-year-old Madhav and 10-month-old Advik. Srivastava’s elder son and Madhuri’s husband, 29-year-old Aman is the sole survivor of the tragic incident. He was also asleep in another corner of the same room where he survived the impact with injuries.
It was upon hearing Aman’s screams that the locals rushed to their house and tried to remove the debris. A fire tender, too, reached the spot after being alerted. However, all six trapped under the debris were dead by the time the site was cleared.
The officials informed that the building was over 80 years old and lying in a dilapidated state.
Pratapgarh District Magistrate, Abhishek Pandey, also reached the spot along with other officials. Following instructions from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath received later in the day, the DM released an ex gratia amount of Rs 4 lakh for the next of kin of each of the deceased.
In a post on X, the chief minister conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for peace to the departed souls and the speedy recovery of the injured.
3 more dead in rain-related incidents
Three more people, including two children, died in separate wall and house collapse incidents in Barabanki and Saharanpur, taking the toll in rain-related incidents in the state to nine.
Story continues below this ad
In Barabanki district, two siblings were killed and three other children injured after an old brick wall collapsed on them while they were playing in Aliyabad village on Thursday morning, police said.
Circle Officer (City) Saurabh Srivastava said five children were playing in a village lane when the wall caved in, trapping them under the debris. Villagers rescued the children and rushed them to the district hospital.
Seven-year-old Huzaifa and his 14-year-old sister Hajra Bano were declared dead, while three other children were admitted to a hospital, police said.
The bodies have been sent for postmortem and an inquiry has been initiated. Officials said strict action would be taken if the probe establishes negligence. Villagers alleged the wall was in a dilapidated condition and had weakened further due to continuous rain.
Story continues below this ad
In another incident, a 35-year-old woman died after a mud house collapsed in Ghaghreki village in Saharanpur district on Wednesday night.
Station House Officer Devesh Kumar Sharma said the woman was trapped under the debris after the house collapsed around 11.30 pm amid heavy rain. She was pulled out by police and local residents and taken to a primary health centre, where doctors declared her dead. The body has been sent for a postmortem examination.
Bhupendra Pandey is the Resident Editor of the Lucknow edition of The Indian Express. With decades of experience in the heart of Uttar Pradesh’s journalistic landscape, he oversees the bureau’s coverage of India’s most politically significant state. His expertise lies in navigating the complex intersections of state governance, legislative policy, and grassroots social movements. From tracking high-stakes assembly elections to analyzing administrative shifts in the Hindi heartland, Bhupendra’s reportage provides a definitive lens on the region's evolution.
Authoritativeness He leads a team of seasoned reporters and investigators, ensuring that The Indian Express’ signature "Journalism of Courage" is reflected in every regional story. His leadership is central to the Lucknow bureau’s reputation for breaking stories that hold the powerful to account, making him a trusted figure for policy analysts, political scholars, and the general public seeking to understand the nuances of UP’s complex landscape.
Trustworthiness & Accountability Under his stewardship, the Lucknow edition adheres to the strictest standards of factual verification and non-partisan reporting. He serves as a bridge between the local populace and the national discourse, ensuring that regional issues are elevated with accuracy and context. By prioritizing primary-source reporting and on-the-ground verification, he upholds the trust that readers have placed in the Express brand for nearly a century. ... Read More
