Six killed after 100-year-old house collapses in UP's Pratapgarh amid heavy rainfall

PRATAPGARH: Six members of a family were killed and another injured after a nearly 100-year-old house collapsed amid heavy rainfall in the Mahuli locality under the Kotwali police station area of Uttar Pradesh's Pratapgarh district in the early hours of Thursday.

According to police, all seven family members were asleep in the same room when the structure suddenly gave way, burying them under the debris. Rescue teams rushed to the spot, launched an operation, and pulled the victims from the rubble. One survivor was rescued alive and admitted to a hospital for treatment.

The deceased include a couple, their son, daughter-in-law, and two children.

Speaking to reporters, injured survivor Aman Srivastava recounted the tragedy. "When I woke up, I realised I was buried under the debris. I somehow managed to get out and saw that all my family members were trapped. I first tried to rescue them myself, but I couldn't, so I started shouting for help. Family members, neighbours, and others gathered at the spot. All seven of us were sleeping in the same room. My parents, my younger brother, my wife, and our two young children were inside. I was rescued, but they all died," he said.

Neighbour Poonam Srivastava said the entire family was asleep when the roof suddenly collapsed. "The debris from the upper floor crashed onto the lower floor, trapping everyone inside while they were sleeping. Seven members of the family were inside the house. One person was rescued alive, while six others, including two children, died," she said.

Circle Officer Ashutosh Mishra said that at around 2 a.m., Kotwali Police Station received information about the collapse.

"Police and fire brigade teams immediately reached the spot, removed the debris, and shifted all the victims to the district hospital, where doctors declared six of them dead," he said.

Police and rescue teams later cleared the debris and completed recovery operations. The injured survivor remains under treatment, while an investigation into the incident is underway.