PIONEER NEWS SERVICE/Uttarkashi
A wall collapse in Mori tehsil’s Mora Tok in Uttarkashi district killed four members of a family in the wee hours of Friday.
The man Gulam Hussain (26), his wife Rukma Khatoon (23), their three-year-old son Abid and 10-month-old daughter Salma died after the wall of their Kuccha house collapsed due to heavy rainfall at around 2 AM. The family resided in the Gurjar Basti of Odata village who were asleep when the incident occurred, as per the officials. They informed that locals rushed to the spot after hearing the sound of the collapse but by the time rescue efforts began, all four had died under the debris.
The local administration including tehsildar of Mori, revenue sub-inspector and police along with the rescue team of the Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) reached the site and launched a rescue operation in the wee hours. The rescue teams recovered the bodies of the deceased and will hand them over to the family after post-mortem, the officials said. The incident has left the entire village in mourning. According to villagers, continuous rainfall in the area has put many mud houses at risk. The affected family lived in poverty and did not have a concrete house.
Neighbours and residents from nearby areas had gathered to console the grieving relatives. Locals are urging the administration to provide immediate financial assistance and ensure that the surviving members receive safe and permanent housing. The officials stated that the administration has begun the process of providing initial relief to the family and more financial assistance will be provided after further assessment.
