A roof collapse due to heavy rains killed a 17-year-old girl and injured three other family members in Punjab’s Rawalpindi district in the early hours of Tuesday morning, rescue officials said.
Starting in late June, monsoon rains have wreaked havoc across the country by triggering deadly floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in vulnerable, poorly drained, or densely populated areas. Roof collapses are a particularly common occurrence due to a large number of mud houses that are unable to withstand the heavy downpour.
According to Rescue 1122, the roof collapse occurred on Daultala Road of Gujar Khan tehsil.
A neighbour of the family reported that the side walls of their house collapsed and the roof caved in at about 1:30am while they were sleeping.
According to the neighbour, “all the people in the neighbourhood rushed to the rescue” upon getting the information. The victims were pulled out of the rubble and taken to the hospital.
The Rescue 1122 district emergency officer, Muhammad Sibghtullah, said that one family member, a 17-year-old girl, was seriously injured and died before reaching the hospital.
“Unfortunately, despite all efforts, she succumbed to her injuries, primarily due to severe head trauma,” Rescue 1122 confirmed.
“Her mother and two elder sisters were also wounded,” he said, adding that they all were transported to Daultala’s Rural Health Centre.
After treatment, the family returned to attend the victim’s funeral.
The neighbour added that the family had been injured by girders and iron bars in their sleep.
He further added that the head of the household was a “poor barber, the only breadwinner of the family”.
This was confirmed by a number of other neighbours, who have urged Punjab’s Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif to provide an urgent relief package to the affected family for the reconstruction of their house.
Gujar Khan’s assistant commissioner did not respond to requests for comment.
A number of houses have also collapsed in the vicinity during the recent rain spells, resulting in the death of cattle in Nata village.
In July, a man died and three others were injured by a roof collapse during heavy rain in Lahore, which also wreaked havoc in various other cities of Punjab.
Meanwhile, three people were reported dead in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat last week when the roof of a room in their house collapsed amid heavy rain, while at least two others in Bannu were injured when the roof of their house collapsed due to heavy rain.
