A tragic house collapse in Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh district claimed six lives in the early hours of Thursday, after a nearly century-old structure gave way while a family slept inside. The incident occurred in Mahuli village under the Kotwali police station area between 1 am and 2 am. According to officials, all seven members of the Srivastava family were asleep in a room on the upper floor when the roof suddenly collapsed, trapping them under debris.
Hearing a loud crash and cries for help, villagers rushed to the spot and alerted authorities. Police, fire brigade personnel and district officials launched a rescue operation with the assistance of local residents. All seven occupants were pulled out and taken to the district hospital, where six were declared dead. The lone survivor, Aman Srivastava (28), is undergoing treatment and is reported to be stable.
District Magistrate Abhishek Pandey said the house belonged to Pramod Srivastava and preliminary findings indicate that the collapse was caused by the failure of an ageing roof built using an outdated construction technique. Continuous heavy rainfall since Wednesday is believed to have further weakened the already fragile structure.
“All seven family members were sleeping in the same room when the roof suddenly gave way. Out of them, six died while Aman survived and is under clinical observation,” Pandey said, adding that the administration has assured timely relief and support to the survivor.
Aman, recounting the ordeal, said he regained consciousness beneath the rubble. “I tried to pull them out but couldn’t. I started shouting for help and neighbours came running. We had all gone to sleep around 10.30 pm. The house collapsed between 1 am and 1.30 am,” he said.
Circle Officer Ashutosh Mishra confirmed that police received information around 2 am and responded immediately. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem, and further investigation is underway.
The deceased have been identified as Pramod Srivastava, Rita Srivastava, Nitin Srivastava, Madhuri Srivastava, Madhav, and a minor, Advik.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the loss of lives and extended condolences to the bereaved family. He directed officials to expedite relief measures, ensure proper treatment for the injured survivor and provide all necessary assistance.
Following his directions, financial aid has been disbursed to the family. Officials said an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh each was provided to eligible next of kin, with the total relief amount reaching Rs 26.20 lakh.
In the wake of the tragedy, the district administration has also decided to conduct a comprehensive audit of dilapidated houses and buildings in the area to identify unsafe structures and prevent similar incidents in the future.
Follow us
