Three dead in four roof-collapse accidents

LAHORE:

Three people, including two children, died and several others were injured in four incidents of roof-collapse on Saturday.

In Bhati Gate, Salma Bibi and her three children were asleep early morning on Saturday when the roof of the house the family had rented from Muhammad Jamil in Mohalla Joathian collapsed. They was rescued from under the debris and taken to a nearby hospital where four-year-old Muhammad Ahmad and six-year-old Sumera Sadiq were pronounced dead. Salma Bibi and one-year-old Sufyan were treated for injuries.

Later, Muhammad Sadiq, Salma Bibi’s husband, registered a complaint with the police against the owner of the house. The FIR stated that the owner of the house had been ignoring the family’s complaints about the condition of the house. It said the family had moved to the city from Mir Dad, Sahiwal.

In Batapur, Saghir Hussain, 25; his wife, Sadia Bibi, 24; and a relative Naheed Akhtar were rescued from under the debris and taken to the Lahore General Hospital where Hussain died. Doctors treating the two women later declared their condition “out of danger”.

The Rescue team said the house had been constructed with mud bricks and had been in a dilapidated condition.

At least 12 people, including a child, were injured in a roof-collapse at a mosque in Factory Area. An Edhi Ambulance Service team reached the scene and took the injured to the LGH.

Witnesses said the Eid prayer had just finished at Muhammadi Masjid on Seol Road and people were leaving the premises when the roof caved in.  No loss of life was reported in the fourth roof-collapse on the Eid day.

Rang Mahal police said roof of the building in Shah Alam Market collapsed on Saturday evening. They said the building had been under construction and added that it appeared that water from heavy rain on Saturday morning had seeped into the roof, causing it to collapse.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 21^st, 2015.