Eight killed as houses collapse in Uttar Pradesh

Eight persons were killed and several others injured in separate incidents of house collapse in Ghaziabad district, police said today.

Five members of a family, including an old woman and three children, were killed when their house collapsed this morning after heavy rains in Kuran village, 40km from Ghaziabad.

The house was in a dilapidated condition and due to continuous rain it collapsed when the family members were sleeping, SP (rural) MM Beig said.

Ashma, 60, Tahir, 50, Samira, 12, Taimur, 8, and Fatima, 4, were killed while owner of the house Majjid Amir and two others were injured, he said.

The bodies were taken out from debris and have been sent for post mortem, Beig said, adding, that compensation will be given to the kin of the deceased.

In another incident, a wall collapsed on an adjoining hut in New Alok Colony in Hapur and four persons were buried under the debris.

The deceased have been identified as Kanti, 55, and her two grand children -- 12-year-old Chanchal and eight-year-old Shivam, police said, adding that Neetu, 12, suffered injuries in the incident and was rushed to hospital.

In another incident in Faridnagar, nine houses collapsed injuring ten persons, sub-divisional magistrate Gyanender Singh said.

The injured were taken to hospital and the damage will be assessed for compensation, he said.

Three days ago a woman, Santresh, had died after a house collapsed in village Shamsherpur near Muradnagar.