At least 25 people were killed and 20 others injured as the roof of a cemetery in Ghaziabad collapsed as they were sheltering under it amid heavy rains, officials said.
While expressing grief, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the state government is engaged in relief and rescue work. “The sad news of the unfortunate accident in Muradnagar, Uttar Pradesh, has caused great sorrow. The state government is engaged in relief and rescue work. I express my condolences to the relatives of those who lost their lives in this accident, as well as wish the injured to get well soon,” Modi tweeted in Hindi.
The incident was reported in the morning when around 50 people, who came for the last rites of a fruit-seller, took shelter under the recently-built structure to save themselves from getting drenched. However, minutes later, the roof of the structure collapsed.
Teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) retrieved three bodies while the remaining were recovered by police and district administration during the rescue operation, officials told IANS.
After the NDRF teams called off the rescue operation, NDRF Deputy Commandant Rajkamal Malik said: “Two teams of 45 men each searched the whole site and now no one else is feared to be trapped inside.”
Muradnagar SHO Inspector Amit Kumar said that 25 people have lost their lives while 20 received serious injuries. However, the official numbers will be announced by the District Magistrate.
The injured have been admitted to the various hospitals including district hospital of Ghaziabad for the treatment, he added.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken cognisance of the incident and ordered the DM and SSP of the district to ensure the effective rescue of the victims. “I have instructed district officials to conduct relief operations and submit a report of the incident. All possible help will be provided to those affected by the incident,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh too expressed his condolences to the family of the deceased in the incident.
BJP’s Ghaziabad MP Gen V.K. Singh, MLA Ajit Pal Tyagi, Uttar Pradesh minister Atul Garg too reached the spot after the mishap was reported.
