Five of family die as roof of house collapses in Uttar Pradesh

lucknow: In a heart-wrenching incident that unfolded in the early hours of Saturday, a family of five met a tragic end when the roof of their Railway-owned residence in Anandnagar area, under the Alambagh Police Station jurisdiction in Lucknow, caved in, burying them under a pile of debris before help could reach them.

The victims have been identified as Satish Chandra (41), his wife Sarojini Devi (35), and their three children, Harshit (13), Harshita (10), and Ansh (5). Authorities revealed that the ill-fated house, situated in a Railway colony, had previously been declared “abandoned,” with eviction notices issued in the past.

Joint Commissioner of Police, Law and Order, Upendra Agarwal, said that the incident occurred during the early hours of Saturday, but it was not discovered until around 5 am when local residents noticed the collapsed roof and alerted the police.

“We first received information at 8 am that the roof of a house had collapsed under the Alambagh police station limits in Anandnagar. Local police, the fire department, NDRF, and SDRF teams rushed to the spot. It turned out that the terrace had collapsed and caved in. The bodies of all those who were recovered were taken to a local hospital, where the doctors declared them brought dead,” said the officer. A unit of sniffer dogs was also dispatched to assist in the search and rescue operation.

Following an initial inquiry, the bodies were sent for post-mortem examination, and discussions are planned with Railway officials regarding the status of other residents living in the colony. SHO, Alambagh, BC Tiwari, said that the house was originally allotted to Satish’s father, Ram Chandra, who was a fourth-class employee in the railways, along with his wife Ram Dulari, who held a contractual position as a fourth-class staff member. After their demise in 2013, Satish took over the residence, despite its classification as “abandoned” by the Northern Railway Lucknow Division.

Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, NR, Rekha Sharma, stated: “None of the deceased in this accident was a railway employee. This incident is being investigated.”

DM Lucknow, Surya Pal Gangwar, conducted an on-site inspection and urged officials to expedite the ongoing rescue operation as time ticked away, dimming hopes of finding survivors.