Nine killed in rain-related house, wall collapses across Uttar Pradesh

At least nine people, including four children, were killed in separate rain-related incidents across Uttar Pradesh after houses and walls collapsed amid heavy rainfall, police said on Thursday.

The deadliest incident occurred in Pratapgarh district, where six members of a family, including two infants, were killed after a nearly century-old house collapsed around 2 am in Mahuli Bazaar, about three kilometres from the district headquarters.

According to Circle Officer (City) Ashutosh Mishra, seven members of the family were asleep in a single room when the old structure gave way.

Those killed were identified as Pramod Srivastava (60), his wife Rita (55), their son Nitin (25), daughter-in-law Madhuri (24), and Nitin's nephews — Madhav (2) and 10-month-old Advik.

The children's father, Aman (28), managed to crawl out of the debris and alerted neighbours, who joined police and fire service personnel in the rescue operation.

All seven family members were pulled from the rubble and taken to the government medical college, where six were declared dead. Police have sent the bodies for postmortem examination and launched an investigation.

In Barabanki district, two siblings were killed and three other children injured after an old brick wall collapsed on them while they were playing in Aliyabad village on Thursday morning.

Circle Officer (City) Saurabh Srivastava said five children were in a village lane when the wall collapsed, trapping them beneath the debris.

Huzaifa (7) and his sister Hajra Bano (14) died in the incident, while Hassan (8), Hania (4) and Adnan (14) sustained injuries and were admitted to hospital.

Officials have ordered an inquiry into the incident and said action would be taken if negligence is established. Villagers alleged the wall had been in a dilapidated condition and had weakened further due to continuous rainfall.

In Saharanpur district, a 35-year-old woman died after her mud house collapsed in Ghaghreki village late on Wednesday night.

Station House Officer Devesh Kumar Sharma said the house collapsed around 11.30 pm during heavy rain. Police and local residents rescued the woman from the debris and rushed her to a primary health centre, where doctors declared her dead.

The body has been sent for postmortem examination.

The incidents come as several parts of Uttar Pradesh continue to receive heavy monsoon rainfall, increasing the risk of structural collapses, particularly in old and mud houses.