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by IANS |
Jaipur, Sep 6 (IANS) At least two persons, including a father and daughter, lost their lives while five were hospitalised after a 4-storey dilapidated mansion collapsed near Subhash Chowk Circle, behind Bal Bharti School in Jaipur on late Friday night, officials said on Saturday.
The incident occurred around 12 midnight, burying seven people under the debris. All were later rescued, but two lives were lost. In the tragedy, Prabhat (33) and his daughter Pihu (6) died, while his wife Sunita (25) was seriously injured.
The family was pulled out of the rubble on Saturday morning. Four others -- Vasudev (34), his wife Sukanya (23), and their sons Sonu (4) and Rishi (6) -- were rescued during the night and admitted to SMS Hospital.
According to local residents, the mansion had been in a dilapidated condition and weakened further due to intermittent rains since Friday. The old lime-constructed structure housed more than 20 tenants, most of them migrant workers from West Bengal.
Teams of Civil Defense and SDRF carried out rescue operations through the night, which continued until 7 a.m. Senior officials, including ACP Manak Chowk Piyush Kaviya, Ramganj SHO Subhash Kumar, and Subhash Chowk SHO Likhmaram, remained on-site with police personnel.
Sanjay, who was inside the building, said: “When the house collapsed, it sounded like thunder. The back portion gave way first, then everything came down.”
Saptami, another resident, said her sister, Sukanya, was trapped under debris but survived. Sonka, an elderly tenant, recalled: “We were awake when the house started falling. We tried knocking on the gates to alert others, but within moments the building collapsed.” The local administration has evacuated nearby houses for safety.
Officials confirmed that at least five other structures in Subhash Chowk are in similar dilapidated condition, posing serious risks during heavy rains.
Additional DCP North Dr Durg Singh Rajpurohit confirmed: “Seven people were rescued. A man and his daughter died, while five others are undergoing treatment at SMS Hospital.”
MLA Amin Kagzi strongly criticised the authorities, calling the incident a result of administrative negligence.
He said: “I had already written to the Municipal Corporation Commissioner and officials, demanding that dilapidated houses inside the fort area be identified and vacated. Many of these buildings are very old and on the verge of collapse. I even sent photographs and emails to highlight the danger, but no action was taken.”
The MLA stressed that unless urgent steps are taken, other fragile structures in the old city could also collapse during heavy rains.
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