Toddler dies as abandoned building collapses in Ghaziabad

GHAZIABAD: An eight-month-old boy died while his mother and grandmother suffered injuries when a two-storey abandoned building, under which they had taken shelter from the rain, collapsed in Ghaziabad’s Khoda Colony on Saturday evening.
Police said Arti and her toddler son, Prashant, had come to her parents’ house on Saturday to celebrate Rakshabandhan. Arti lives in Mahagun society in Indirapuram and her husband Chetan is a tour operator.
In the evening, Arti and her mother, Rajini, went out shopping in the local market along with the child. While returning, they were caught in the sudden downpour. As they did not carry any umbrella with them, Arti and her mother decided to wait under the dilapidated building until the rain subsided.
“A few minutes later, a portion of the building gave away. All three were trapped under the debris. Residents from nearby houses rushed to their rescue and took them to a nearby private hospital. The child succumbed to injuries during treatment while his mother was referred to Safdarjung hospital as she had suffered grievous injuries to the head,” said Abhay Mishra, the circle officer of Indirapuram.
The body was handed over to the family after an autopsy. No complaint had been lodged into the incident till late on Sunday evening.
Residents said the house had been abandoned several years ago. “It had been like this for the past five years at least. We had asked the municipal corporation to demolish the building as it could collapse anytime,” said Anil Sharma, a resident.
A senior officer of Khoda police station said they would write to the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation to identify dangerous buildings. “We will urge them to demolish such structures. They could pose a threat to anybody passing by,” he added.