Meerut (Uttar Pradesh): Six children and four others died after a building collapsed in Zakir Colony, Meerut, due to heavy rains in the area, officials confirmed on Sunday.
The administration has announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of the deceased. District Magistrate Deepak Meena stated that the government has initiated the process of disbursing the payments to the affected families.
A total of ten people died, and five individuals were hospitalised. The recovered bodies were sent to the hospital for post-mortem and further medical procedures.
The deceased have been identified as 65-year-old Nafo (Nafeesa), 50-year-old Sajid, 15-year-old Saniya, 12-year-old Saqib, 27-year-old Farhan, 25-year-old Alisa, 10-year-old Riya, 6-year-old Himsa, 4-year-old Ramrin, and 8-year-old Aliya.
According to officials, the incident occurred around 4:30 pm on Saturday in the Zakir Colony area of Meerut.
Speaking to ANI, Meerut DM Deepak Meena said, "The incident took place around 4:30 pm in Zakir Colony. According to family and relatives, 15 people were trapped in the debris. All 15 have been rescued, of which 10 have died and 5 are undergoing treatment. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem. The area has been sealed, and the debris is being cleared. The rescue operation will continue until there's no possibility of any human life remaining under the rubble."
NDRF and SDRF teams, with the help of sniffer dogs, searched for signs of human life under the rubble as part of the rescue operation in Zakir Colony.
Currently, 11 districts in Uttar Pradesh are affected by floods. So far, 17 people have died due to the floods, according to information from the office of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Earlier, the UP Chief Minister's office posted on X, "Relief payments of Rs 4 lakh each have been provided to the families of the deceased. So far, relief money has been given to 30 people affected by the loss of 30 animals. Additionally, 3,056 houses have been damaged, and relief assistance has been distributed."
