Woman, Mother-in-Law and 21-Day-Old Child Die After House Roof Collapse in Kanpur

Kanpur: Three members of a family, a woman, her mother-in-law and her 21-day-old son, died after the roof of their house collapsed in the Panki Padaw area of Kanpur on Sunday morning, police said.

Preliminary investigations suggest the roof, which was of non-permanent construction, likely collapsed due to significant water seepage, the Kanpur West DCP SM Qasimi Abidi said.

Speaking to reporters, he said a rescue operation was immediately launched at the site after the collapse.

"The necessary legal formalities, including the preparation of an inquest report, are being completed, and the bodies have been sent for post-mortem examinations...Regarding the ages of the deceased: the woman was approximately 27–28 years old, and her mother-in-law was around 60–65 years old. The woman’s son was only about 21 days old when this tragic incident occurred," he said.

Resident Manoj Kumar Vajpayee said the incident occurred in the morning. He said that the family was in a kaccha, mud-walled room and their financial situation was poor.

"The mother was nursing her child, accompanied by her mother-in-law, when the roof collapsed. They had no chance to escape or react. All three died instantly," he said.

The family is now left with one son and two grandchildren, Vajpayee said.

"Given their poor financial condition, we, the community, request that this matter be brought to the attention of the administration and the government. We urge that they be provided with financial assistance to help secure a brighter future for them," he said.