One person died and eight others were rescued after two old houses collapsed near the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, early Tuesday morning. The collapse happened in the Khoya Gali Chowk area.
Initially, nine people, including a woman police constable, were trapped under the debris. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team worked for about four hours to rescue them. The constable and the other trapped people have been taken to a nearby hospital. The constable is in stable condition, while one woman was confirmed dead at the hospital.
Varanasi Police Commissioner Mohit Agarwal said, “The rescue operation is nearly done. All nine people were rescued and sent to hospitals. The constable is being treated at the BHU Trauma Centre and is out of danger. Unfortunately, a woman at Kabir Chaura Hospital has been declared dead.”
NDRF DIG MK Sharma mentioned that the rescue operation lasted about four hours and that they will do a final search before ending the operation.
Varanasi Divisional Commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma stated that after the rescue, the next steps are to clear the debris and restore water and electricity to the area. The collapsed houses were around 70 years old. Sharma also clarified that no permission from the Kashi Vishwanath temple is needed for construction or restoration work outside the temple’s premises. The temple’s construction was completed two and a half years ago, and any work outside the temple does not require approval from its administration.