Four members of a family, including a father and his three daughters, were cremated on Monday after a two-storey mud house collapsed in Hirni village under the Saadh police station area of Ghatampur, Kanpur, on Sunday morning. The fourth daughter, Kajal alias Lakshmi, was rescued after being trapped deep inside the debris and is undergoing treatment at Kanpur’s Hallet Hospital.
Mukesh Singh Vaishya, aged around 45, lived with his family in the mud house. According to the information available, the house suddenly collapsed amid rain on Sunday morning while Mukesh and his four daughters were inside.
The entire family was trapped under the debris. After hearing the sound of the collapse, local residents reached the spot and began removing the debris. After considerable effort, Mukesh Singh and his daughters Maya, Neetu and Pallavi were pulled out and taken to a community health centre, where doctors declared all four dead.
Kajal alias Lakshmi was also trapped under the debris. She was stuck at considerable depth and was rescued after around one and a half hours of efforts. Given her serious condition, she was referred to Kanpur’s Hallet Hospital, where she is receiving treatment.
The post-mortem procedures were completed late on Sunday night. At around 2 am, the four bodies were brought back to the family home in Hirni village.
The bodies were placed in the courtyard of the house, where family members and local residents gathered. Residents continued to visit the house through the night.
On Monday morning, preparations for the funerals began. Assistance was provided by the administration for the cremation. At around 10:15 am, four funeral biers carrying Mukesh Singh and his daughters Maya, Neetu and Pallavi were taken out from the same house.
A large number of villagers, women and neighbours joined the final journey. Residents carried the funeral biers and accompanied the family to the cremation site.
The four bodies were taken in vehicles provided by the administration to Moosanagar Ghat on the banks of the Yamuna River for the final rites.
According to villagers, almost every family in the village had a member participating in the final journey. Residents said they had never before seen so many funeral biers being taken out together from a single family.
Kajal alias Lakshmi, the family’s fourth daughter, remains hospitalised in serious condition. According to reports, her marriage had been fixed for December, and preparations were to be made for the wedding before the house collapsed.
The family is now dealing with the deaths of Mukesh Singh, Maya, Neetu and Pallavi while Kajal remains under treatment at Hallet Hospital.
After the collapse, villagers raised questions about the administration’s relief and rescue arrangements. They alleged that the police reached the site late after being informed about the collapse, leaving them to begin the initial rescue work themselves.
Villagers removed debris and attempted to rescue those trapped inside. Police and administrative teams later reached the site and began relief and investigation proceedings.
Family members also expressed dissatisfaction with the local health arrangements and raised questions about the immediate treatment provided to Kajal after she was taken to hospital. She was subsequently referred to Hallet Hospital in Kanpur for better treatment.
According to villagers, the area had experienced continuous rainfall for the past few days. They said the rain had affected mud houses, weakening their walls and roofs.
The two-storey mud house suddenly collapsed on Sunday morning. People living nearby rushed to the site after hearing the sound, but family members had already been buried under the debris.
The incident also raised concerns about the safety of families living in mud houses in the village.
Following the incident, the administration began the process of providing relief to the affected family. According to available reports, financial assistance for injured Kajal was proposed from the Daiviya Aapda Rahat Kosh.
The family has also sought employment and other assistance. The administration helped with arrangements required for the final cremation.
On Monday, a large number of villagers remained present during the final rites. The four funeral biers were taken to Moosanagar Ghat for cremation, while Kajal continued to receive treatment at Hallet Hospital.
