Garhwal Post Bureau
Almora, 1 Sep: Continuous heavy rainfall in the district claimed two lives late last night when a tin shed room collapsed in Dhar Ki Tuni area, trapping two Nepali labourers inside. The workers, who had been living in a rented tin‑roofed structure, were asleep when the debris from the hillside broke through and brought down the wall. Both were buried under the rubble and died on the spot. It may also be remembered that 3 members of a family had also died as debris entered their house in the district this morning in a separate incident, taking the total toll to 5.
The local residents discovered the incident in the morning today and alerted the authorities. District Magistrate Anshul Singh, Disaster Management Officer Vineet Pal and other officials reached the site and supervised relief and rescue operations. Teams from the administration, disaster management and police cleared the debris in an effort to retrieve the victims, but by the time they were brought out they had already succumbed. Councillor Amit Sah Monu and local residents were also present at the site. The tin shed room was severely damaged in the collapse.
The officials confirmed that the accident was triggered by continuous rainfall that had weakened the structure and caused heavy debris to slide down. Vineet Pal said the circumstances of the collapse were being investigated.
The administration has appealed to residents in hill areas to remain cautious amidst ongoing heavy rainfall, landslides and debris flow, while compensation procedures for the bereaved families have been initiated.
