Lucknow/Unnao, September 16
Heavy overnight rains in Uttar Pradesh Friday led to the deaths of at least 22 people, including nine labourers who were buried alive under the debris when an under-construction wall in the state capital collapsed on their huts.
The only survivor in the Lucknow incident, where a portion of the boundary wall of an Army enclave collapsed following rains, was a man, named Golu, who made the call to police from under the rubble.
Officials said the 13 other deaths were reported from Unnao (five), Fatehpur (three), Prayagraj (two), Sitapur, Raebareli and Jhansi (one each).
On the Lucknow collapse, Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Piyush Mordia told PTI, “Some labourers were living in huts outside the Army enclave in the Dilkusha area. Owing to heavy overnight rains, the boundary wall of the Army enclave collapsed,” “We reached the spot around 3 am. Nine bodies were pulled out from the debris. One person was rescued alive,” he said.
All the nine deceased are from Jhansi district.
District Magistrate Suryapal Gangwar said the injured persons has been admitted to Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee (Civil) Hospital.
“As we reached the spot 15 minutes after the message was passed on to the police station, our first priority and effort was to locate the person who had made the call to the control room, and pull him out from the debris,” ACP Cantonment Anup Kumar Singh, who was also present at the spot of the incident, told PTI.
“It was Golu, who had made the call to the police control room. After pulling him from the debris, he was sent to the Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee (Civil) Hospital,” he said.
President Droupadi Murmu, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his deputies Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak expressed grief over the loss of lives in the incident.
“I am deeply saddened by the news of death of people due to a wall collapse in Lucknow. My condolences to the bereaved families. I wish the injured a speedy recovery,” Murmu tweeted in Hindi.
