Heavy rain turned deadly across Uttar Pradesh this weekend, as mud-and-brick homes weakened by the downpour gave way in three districts, killing at least six people — four of them from a single family in Kanpur.
- Six people died in three separate house-collapse incidents in Kanpur, Budaun and Ballia on September 5–6, 2026.
- In Kanpur's Hirni village, Mukesh Kumar and his daughters Maya (17), Neetu (seven) and Pallavi (five) were killed; another daughter, Kajal, was seriously injured.
- In Budaun, farmer Vinod (35) died when a wall collapsed; his wife sustained serious injuries.
- In Ballia, six-year-old Kirti Rajbhar was killed when a mud wall fell on her.
- The Kanpur family alleges delayed police response and has demanded an impartial inquiry.
Five trapped under debris in Kanpur
The worst of the tragedies unfolded in Hirni village, where a "kutcha" house collapsed around 11 a.m. on Sunday (September 6, 2026). Kanpur's Commissioner of Police Raghubir Lal told PTI that all five members of the family were trapped under the debris.
Police, fire brigade personnel and locals rescued the family and took them to the Community Health Centre (CHC) at Patara, where four were declared dead. Kajal, the surviving daughter, is under treatment at the Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital (LLR) in Kanpur. Three fire tenders with rescue equipment and a mobile disaster-response vehicle were deployed at the spot. The front portion of the house was completely damaged, while a room-like structure at the rear was partially damaged. The exact cause of the collapse is being investigated, the police commissioner told PTI.
Family alleges negligence, demands inquiry
Kumar's cousin, Tej Bahadur Singh, alleged police negligence, saying the family repeatedly called the Saadh police station after the collapse, but the calls were initially unanswered. Villagers, he said, had to launch the rescue operation themselves and worked for nearly two hours to pull the trapped family members out.
The family also alleged that treatment at the Patara CHC was delayed because no doctor was available when the victims were taken there. According to the family, Kajal alias Laxmi was due to get married in December. The bodies of the deceased have been sent for post-mortem.
Deaths in Budaun and Ballia
In Budaun's Gurgaon village, under the Musajhag police station area, heavy rain late on Saturday (September 5) night brought down the wall of a farmer's "kutcha" house. Vinod (35), who was sleeping with his family, was buried under the debris and died on the spot; his wife sustained serious injuries, Musajhag SHO Manoj Kumar said. Alerted by the loud crash, villagers rushed in, cleared the rubble and pulled the injured woman out. The body has been sent for post-mortem and the woman admitted to a hospital.
In Ballia, six-year-old Kirti Rajbhar had walked to a grocery store in Naferpur village to buy biscuits on Sunday morning. On her way home, a mud wall suddenly collapsed, trapping her underneath. Villagers pulled her out, but she died as she was being taken to a hospital in Rasra. She was from Nasirpur Kala village and had been visiting her maternal grandparents. Police have sent the body for post-mortem.
Timeline of the incidents
| When | Where | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| Sept 5, late night | Gurgaon village, Budaun | Wall of a kutcha house collapsed; Vinod (35) killed, wife seriously injured |
| Sept 6, morning | Naferpur village, Ballia | Mud wall fell on six-year-old Kirti Rajbhar; she died en route to hospital |
| Sept 6, around 11 a.m. | Hirni village, Kanpur | Kutcha house collapsed; Mukesh Kumar and three daughters killed, one daughter injured |
Comments