Uttar Pradesh: 4-year-old child, uncle killed as balcony collapses in Ghaziabad's Tulsi Niketan area

Ghaziabad:

In a tragic incident, a four-year-old boy and his maternal uncle lost their lives after a dilapidated balcony collapsed in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad district. As per the police officials, the mishap occurred around 9 pm on May 14 when 26-year-old Akash and his young nephew Vansh were standing outside a local grocery store to purchase rice, just steps away from their residence in the Tulsi Niketan GDA Janta Flats area.

The officials said a section of the old balcony, under which an illegal toilet had reportedly been built, suddenly collapsed. The debris came crashing down onto a tin shed directly below, burying the two underneath. Both Akash and Vansh died on the spot due to the impact, they added. 

Akash, who hailed from Mandoli in Delhi, had been living with his family in a rented apartment in the Tulsi Niketan complex. He worked in a factory that specialised in manufacturing cooker whistles and was the primary breadwinner for his household. Police said the balcony that collapsed belonged to a flat owned by Shabina Khan. A toilet had been illegally constructed on the balcony which is suspected to have weakened the structure.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (Shalimar Garden) Atul Kumar Singh said that appropriate legal action will be taken following the investigation. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem, and reports are awaited.

A Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) official said that Tulsi Niketan colony, situated along the Delhi-UP border on Wazirabad Road, was constructed around 30 years ago and has been in a severely dilapidated condition for years. "The GDA had issued several public notices urging residents to vacate the flats in view of safety concerns and proposed reconstruction. However, the residents ignored the warnings," the official said.

(With inputs from PTI)

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