Pratapgarh: Six members of a family lost their lives after the roof of a dilapidated house collapsed in the early hours of Thursday in Mahuli village of Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh district, police said.
According to officials, the incident occurred at around 2 a.m. while the family was asleep inside their nearly 100-year-old ancestral home.
Circle Officer (City) Santosh Mishra said the Kotwali Nagar police station received information about the collapse shortly after it occurred. The house belonged to Pramod Srivastava, who was sleeping in one of the rooms with other members of his family when the roof suddenly gave way.
One of Srivastava’s sons managed to escape the collapsing structure, but the remaining family members were trapped beneath the debris.
Police personnel, along with the fire department and local residents, launched a rescue operation and removed the rubble. All six victims were pulled out and rushed to the district hospital, where doctors declared them dead.
Authorities have initiated legal proceedings and are investigating the circumstances surrounding the collapse. Preliminary information indicates that the age and poor condition of the house may have contributed to the tragedy.
The incident has once again highlighted concerns over the safety of old and structurally weak residential buildings, particularly during the monsoon season when prolonged rainfall can further weaken ageing structures.
