Two killed as house collapses in Sirmaur; four die in road mishap
Nahan, August 12,
Two women, including a pregnant woman, were killed and three others, including two toddlers, seriously injured when a two-storey house suddenly collapsed at Chhichhriyan village under Didag gram panchayat in Rajgarh block of Sirmaur district on Wednesday.
The incident occurred around noon when the weather was clear. According to police, five members of the family were inside the house when the structure suddenly collapsed without any warning, burying them under the debris.
DSP Rajgarh V.C. Negi said the deceased were Nirmala (57), wife of Bhim Singh Chauhan, and her 32-year-old pregnant daughter Pooja. The injured have been identified as Pooja’s sister-in-law Shabnam, her one-year-old daughter Abhina and Pooja’s one-and-a-half-year-old daughter Ira.
Bhim Singh Chauhan was away on some work when the incident occurred.
Villagers immediately launched a rescue operation and were later assisted by police and local administration teams. The trapped persons were pulled out from under the debris and the injured were rushed to Rajgarh Civil Hospital in ambulances and private vehicles.
Also read: Heavy monsoon rain claims 70 lives in Himachal; 204 roads blocked
The bodies were taken to Rajgarh Hospital for post-mortem and will be handed over to the families thereafter. Police have inspected the site and registered a case to ascertain the circumstances leading to the collapse.
The tragedy came amid continuing rain-related disruptions in Himachal Pradesh, with fresh reports of damage and accidents emerging from different parts of the state. Relatively dry and clear weather in several areas on Wednesday provided some relief and allowed the administration to accelerate relief and rescue operations.
Sirmaur, however, continued to remain in focus for rain-related tragedies. In another major incident, a road accident in Sangrah area of the district claimed the lives of four people, adding to the mounting toll from accidents and weather-related incidents in the region.
The latest incidents have once again highlighted the vulnerability of hill structures and roads during the monsoon, when saturated slopes and weakened structures can pose serious risks even during periods of relatively clear weather.
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