Three family members, including 20-day-old baby, killed as house roof collapses in Kanpur

Three members of a family, including a 20-day-old baby, were killed in Uttar Pradesh' Kanpur when the roof of a room in their house collapsed on Sunday morning.

The deceased have been identified as Vinodini Shukla, 60, her daughter-in-law Anshika 28, and 20-day-old grandson. Harsh Shukla 32, who was also present inside the room when the roof caved in, sustained minor injuries.

The incident took place in Panki Padav area when the roof, made of bamboo, wooden beams and mud, suddenly gave way. Family members and neighbours rushed to remove the debris and pulled out the occupants who were then taken to Kalyanpur Community Health Centre. Doctors declared the three dead.

According to a relative Manoj Bajpai, the family were busy with their morning chores on Diwali, while Harsh and his mother were sitting in the room. Anshika was feeding their newborn and other members of the family, including Harsh's father Avadhesh Shukla, 65, and younger brother Raju, 29, were in another room when the roof collapsed.

The house, owned by Avadhesh, is around 35 years old. The single-storey house has four rooms, with a roof constructed using bamboo, wooden beams and mud.

DCP West SM Qasim Abidi said police had received information about three deaths following the roof collapse. “Prima facie, it appears that water seepage increased the load on the roof,” he said.

The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination. A revenue team was also present at the spot, and further legal proceedings were underway.