Three killed as mud house wall collapses in southern Bengal
A woman and her two minor daughters were crushed to death when a wall of their mud house collapsed in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district in the early hours of Thursday, police and local residents said. The incident occurred in Kamarpara village under Mandirbazar police station, about 70 kilometres south of Kolkata. According to police, the victims were identified as Brishpati Karmakar, 43, and her daughters Shila, 15, and Priya, 10. They were sleeping inside their mud house when a wall suddenly gave way around dawn following days of incessant rain. Neighbours said they heard a loud crash and rushed out to investigate. “We saw that the wall of the Karmakars’ house had caved in and the three were trapped inside,” a resident told Press. Locals managed to pull the trio from the debris and alerted police. They were taken to a nearby hospital where doctors declared them dead on arrival. Police have sent the bodies for autopsy at the Diamond Harbour government hospital. Officials said the house had become fragile due to continuous monsoon showers. “The foundation of the wall had loosened and the mud structure was unstable. Unfortunately, the family continued to stay there despite the risks,” a police officer said. Sources added that the Karmakar family had received financial assistance under the state’s Bangla Awas Yojana housing scheme for construction of a brick house. They had already received the second instalment of funds but the construction work had been delayed. Local residents said Brishpati had planned to start building a permanent home but the old mud dwelling remained their only shelter. The tragedy has sparked concern over the safety of hundreds of rural families in South 24 Parganas and other districts who continue to live in mud houses vulnerable to collapse during heavy rains. Mandirbazar legislator Joydeb Haldar visited the bereaved family and assured government support. “It is a heartbreaking incident. The administration will stand beside them,” he said. Heavy rainfall in parts of southern Bengal over the past week has damaged several mud houses, officials said.
