A wall collapse near the Banke Bihari temple in Mathura has killed five people and injured at least four others. The incident was caught on CCTV camera on 15th August. Devotees can be seen walking through an alley and just as a car passes by, the portion of an old building is seen collapsing in the video.
VIDEO | "An unfortunate incident happened this evening after a roof and wall of a building collapsed near Banke Bihari Temple, in which five people were killed and four injured," says Mathura DM Pulkit Khare. pic.twitter.com/Bq4RAd8Vhw
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 15, 2023
Mathura SSP Shailesh Kumar Pandey said cops were coincidentally present near the site of the incident and all injured were rushed to the hospital. Meanwhile visuals from the site after the wall collapse show the severe extent of the damage. UP CM Yogi Adityanath has announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased.
The CM took cognizance of the incident and expressed condolence over the loss of life. “UP CM @myogiadityanath has taken cognizance of the accident caused by the collapse of an old building in Mathura district. The Chief Minister has expressed deep condolence over the loss of life in this accident and while wishing peace to the souls of the deceased, expressed condolences to the bereaved families. Also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured,” the UP CMO tweeted.
#UPCM @myogiadityanath ने जनपद मथुरा में पुरानी इमारत गिरने से हुए हादसे का संज्ञान लिया है। मुख्यमंत्री जी ने इस हादसे में हुई जनहानि पर गहरा शोक व्यक्त किया है व दिवंगतों की आत्मा की शांति की कामना करते हुए शोक संतप्त परिजनों के प्रति संवेदना व्यक्त की है। साथ ही घायलों के…
— CM Office, GoUP (@CMOfficeUP) August 15, 2023
It further said, “The Chief Minister has instructed the senior officers of the district administration to conduct relief work on the spot and to provide relief amount of ₹ 04-04 lakh to the families of the deceased in the accident.” The incident occurred at around 5.30 in the evening.
The deceased have been identified as Geeta Kashyap (50), Arvind Kumar Yadav (35), and Rashmi Gupta (52) from Kanpur, Anju Murgan (51) of Vrindavan, and Chandan Rai (28) of Deoria. Reports say that the wall collapsed after a bunch of monkeys were fighting on the wall. The deceased were reportedly relatives who were on a pilgrimage from Kanpur.
The incident occurred around 200 meters away from the temple. It must be noted that the area surrounding the Banke Bihari temple houses several houses many of which are very old and almost in dilapidated condition. And heavy rainfall this year in the region has added to the woes.
