After downpour, 5 killed, 6 injured as roofs collapse in Punjab’s Muktsar

Three instances of roof collapses caused by heavy downpour in the region, starting Tuesday night, claimed five lives in Malout sub-division of Muktsar on Wednesday. The victims include two children and a woman. Roofs caved in around six houses and a hotel.

Over 100 acres of fields were also flooded. In Abohar, a sub-division of Fazilka, a man was injured due to roof collapse.

In the first incident, Amritpal Singh, 35, and his two children, Manseerat, 7 and Agam, 9, of Ajit Singh Nagar in Malout was killed when the roof collapsed on the family in their sleep. Amritpal’s wife Tejinder Kaur has been injured.

At Mahuana village in Muktsar, Tarsem Singh, of Patiala, was killed due to the collapse of the roof of a restaurant. Five others were injured. The group was in Muktsar to attend a training from a skill centre. In the third case, Harjinder Kaur, 22, of Malout was killed when she was sleeping with her children at her home. Her children escaped.

Malout MLA Ajaib Singh Bhatti, who is also the deputy speaker, offered condolences to the families of the victims. He also announced compensation of ₹1 lakh for the victims.

School van falls into pit

Eight school students had a narrow escape when their schoolvan fell into a rain water pit dug up for sewage near Azamgarh road in Abohar. Meanwhile, agricultural fields of Bhagsar, Rajpura and Malukpura villages submerged, following cuts in canals. This is a huge loss for farmers. Forest authorities also cleared roads blocked after trees fell.

Other places where roofs fell were at the house of Jamuna Devi at Daulatpura, Kaluram’s home in Sappanwali, Raju’s abode at Wariyam Khera, and at the residences of Parteek and Surjit Singh. A man named Kulwant Singh sustained injuries after being buried under a house. Abohar SDM Poonam Singh visited the affected areas.