In a tragic incident, seven people lost their lives after a section of a fort wall collapsed due to heavy rainfall in Madhya Pradesh’s Datia district. The collapse occurred in the Khalkapura locality at around 4 am on Thursday, according to District Collector Sandeep Kumar Mawkin.
The wall, part of the Rajgarh Fort, collapsed and fell on a nearby house, trapping nine members of a family. Locals immediately launched a rescue operation, managing to save two people, while seven others remained trapped under the debris.
“Continuous rainfall for around 36 hours caused the wall to collapse,” said Collector Mawkin. “The locals rescued two family members, who were later admitted to the hospital and are safe.” The narrow access to the incident site made it difficult for heavy machinery like JCB and poclain excavators to reach, prompting the deployment of the State Disaster Emergency Response Force (SDERF).
SDERF, along with district officials, managed to recover the bodies of the seven deceased after demolishing a portion of the collapsed wall. The deceased have been identified as Shivam Vansakar (22), Suraj Vansakar (18), Kishan Vansakar (60), Prabha Vansakar (56), Niranjan Vansakar (60), Mamta Vansakar (55), and Radha Vansakar (25). The two injured survivors are Munna Vansakar (59) and Akash Vansakar (25).
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav expressed deep sorrow over the incident and announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 4 lakh to the families of each of the deceased, in accordance with government norms. “The news of the deaths due to the collapse of the Rajgarh Fort wall is extremely painful. We stand with the bereaved families during this difficult time,” Yadav wrote on social media platform X.
Despite immediate rescue efforts, the narrow road leading to the site hampered the operations, he added. “I pray to Almighty God to give peace to the departed souls and strength to their families to bear this tragic loss,” the Chief Minister said in his statement.
