Kanpur Roof Collapse Kills Three Family Members in Panki Padaav

“Information was received about the death of 3 people after the roof of a house collapsed,” DCP West SM Qasim Abidi told reporters.

Three members of a family died on Diwali morning in Kanpur when their house roof gave way. The incident struck the Panki Padaav area on Sunday morning.

The collapse trapped Vinodni Shukla, 60, her son Harsh Shukla, 32, daughter-in-law Anshika Shukla, 28, and grandson Aarav under debris. Neighbours and family members rushed to pull them free.

They were taken to Kalyanpur CHC. Doctors declared Vinodni, Anshika, and baby Aarav dead. Harsh survived with only minor injuries.

The victims were inside a single-storey mud room when the structure failed. The roof relied on bamboo supports, wooden beams, and mud.

Anshika was breastfeeding newborn Aarav when the roof crashed down. Neighbours said she held the infant tight to shield him, but both died.

Avdhesh Shukla, 65, owns the 35-year-old ancestral home containing four rooms. He and his younger son Raju Shukla, 29, stayed in a separate room during the collapse.

Harsh works for a Steel Authority company in Panki. He married Anshika two years ago, and their son was born just 20 days prior to the accident.

The family initially refused postmortems after doctors confirmed the three deaths. Police later persuaded them to allow the examinations.

“Prima facie, it appears that the load on the roof increased due to water seepage,” DCP West SM Qasim Abidi stated. A revenue team was present at the site.

OrissaPOST reported that rescue operations deployed quickly in the Panki police station area. Authorities continue legal proceedings regarding the structure.

“At around 8 a.m., the roof of a house collapsed in Panki Padao area under Panki Police Station limits, resulting in the tragic deaths of three people.”

Qasim Abidi, DCP West