Five booked over deadly roof collapse
Most of agency braves downpour without any power. PHOTO: FILE
Police have registered a case against five brothers, accusing them of being responsible for a roof collapse that killed eight people in Bahlak area.
In the case filed by Mohammad Ashraf, son of Mohammad Qasim, a resident of Mouza Thatta Beg Dhup Sari, it was stated that he had bought 15 acres of agricultural land from Arif, Nawaz, Khalid, Mohammad Khan and Mohammad Yar alias Yara, sons of Shamshir Wattoo and built a house where four feet of land had been left vacant around the building.
According to the complainant, he covered the foundations of the house with sand to strengthen them. Five years ago, the accused forcibly removed the sand and added four feet area to their agricultural land, which caused water to seep into the foundations of the house.
Ashraf went along with Irfan Mahmood and Manzoor Hussain to the house of the accused and told them to put sand along the foundations of their house again but they continuously delayed the issue. Ashraf stated that when the accused did not listen to him, he put sand in the area.
In February, the accused removed the sand deposited along the foundations of the house again and the foundations were damaged when Ashraf watered hisfields.
Due to this, rainwater the previous day seeped into the foundations of Ashraf’s house from the agricultural land, which caused the collapse of the house, the complainant stated.
As a result of the incident, Ghulam Fatima, Khurram Shehzad, Mehndi Hassan as well as the children of Ashraf’s brother Zafar including Basheeran Bibi, Farzana Bibi, Janat Bibi, Kaneez Fatima and Yasir, who were sleeping in the house, were killed while their mother and Zafar Ali's son Nasir sustained serious injuries.
The injured were shifted to a hospital where they were stated to be in a critical condition.
According to the FIR, the accident took place due to the alleged negligence of the accused. Police registered a case under sections 322 and 427 of PPC against the five brothers and started a search for them.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 23rd, 2020.