A roof collapsed at a cremation ground in Uttar Pradesh’s Muradnagar on Sunday trapping dozens of people who has gathered there to attend the last rites of a local who died on Saturday. Twenty one people have so far been killed, the rescuers said, adding that 20 others are injured. Those injured are receiving treatment at local hospitals.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted about the incident and extended condolences to the families of the victims. “The unfortunate incident in Uttar Pradesh’s Muradnagar has given me great sorrow. The state government is engaged in relief and rescue work. I express my condolences to the relatives of those who lost their lives in this accident, as well as with the injured to get well soon,” he wrote on Twitter.
BJP MP VK Singh, MLA Ajit Pal Tyagi and Uttar Pradesh minister Atul Garg visited the spot and met the families of victims.
Here is how it happened:
The people were attending the funeral of a local when it started raining. Subsequently, they went under a structure to take shelter when the roof collapsed.
Most of the people who were present at the ground were relatives of the deceased person.
{{/usCountry}}Most of the people who were present at the ground were relatives of the deceased person.
{{/usCountry}}The number of injured could rise further, the rescuers said. Some people, who managed to escape, were taken away from the site by their relatives.
A team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is at the spot.
Expressing grief over the tragedy, chief minister Yogi Adityanath announced Rs 2 lakh as financial relief for the families of each person killed.
The chief minister has also asked Meerut’s Divisional Commissioner and Additional Director General of the police zone to submit a report on the incident.