Dilapidated building: Two minors die in roof collapse

NOWSHERA: Two children were killed when the roof of a room collapsed in Khat Kallay. An official of Azakhel police Badan Khan said Riaz Khan lived in a rented house in Gulshanabad, Khat Kallay. He added a roof in Riaz’s house caved in, killing both his two-year-old son Sheheryar and five-year-old Salma. The children were playing inside the room and Salma had come over from their neighbour’s house to visit. The official said people from the neighbourhood rushed and started rescue work. They pulled the children out from under the debris but both children died of suffocation. Riaz told the police the roof had been worn out since ages and he had asked the owner several times to repair it. He claimed the landlord neglected to do so which eventually resulted in the loss of lives.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2013.