Woman killed, several injured after two houses collapse in Varanasi

One woman was killed and several people were injured after two old houses near the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi city collapsed, officials said on Tuesday, 6 August.

Varanasi divisional commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma said the houses at Khoya Gali in the Chowk area collapsed early on Tuesday.

"Two houses collapsed. One belonged to a Mr Gupta in which there were nine people. The other house belonged to one Mr Yadav. Occupants of the second house came out easily while seven people from the first house had to be brought out of the debris," divisional commissioner Sharma said.

Of the seven people brought out from the rubble, one woman died. The rest are undergoing treatment, he said. Some people are feared trapped under the rubble and efforts are being made to rescue them, the officials said.

A woman police constable suffered injuries on her jaw, he added. The rescue operation is complete and work is underway to remove the debris, Divisional commissioner Sharma said.

Efforts are also underway to restore water and electricity supply to the area. The official said the second and the third floors of the houses, which seemed to be more than 70 years old, collapsed.