17 dead as roof of shelter at cremation ground in UP’s Muradnagar collapses

Around 100 people were attending the funeral procession of a local resident of Dayanand Colony, who died on Saturday, when the roof collapsed and hardly anyone got a chance to escape, according to Livehindustan.

Seventeen people were killed when the roof of a shelter at a cremation ground in Uttar Pradesh’s Muradnagar collapsed on Sunday, news agency ANI reported.

“17 people have died so far while 38 people have been rescued after a shed collapsed in Muradnagar. We’ve started a probe and we’ll take strict action against those found guilty,” Anita C Meshram, Divisional Commissioner, Meerut told ANI.

According to HT’s sister publication Livehindustan, over 40 people were initially trapped in the debris. The police and administration team arrived at the spot on receiving information and rescued the people, who were then admitted to Ghaziabad District Hospital.

Around 100 people were attending the funeral procession of a local resident of Dayanand Colony, who died on Saturday, when the roof collapsed and hardly anyone got a chance to escape, according to Livehindustan. While a few got trapped in the rubble, some managed to save their lives by running.

The building structure at the cremation ground was not very old and it is feared that the incident took place because the building was constructed in an area where frequent water-logging takes place. Due to heavy rain, the soil moved and thr mishap took place, according to Livehindustan.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has condoled the death of people in the incident. He has instructed officials to provide financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh to the dependents of the deceased in this accident. He has also instructed the Mandalayukta, Meerut and ADG, Meerut Zone to submit a report regarding the incident.

(With agency inputs)