12-year-old girl killed, 7 injured as wall collapses during rains

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

A 12-year-old girl died and seven others were injured after a dilapidated wall collapsed onto a neighboring house during heavy unseasonal rains in the early hours of Wednesday in Kannad. The wall had been declared hazardous by the municipal council months ago, but no action was taken by its owners.

The deceased has been identified as Ayesha Shaikh, a resident of the Chhammankabangla area in Kannad. The wall was part of an old structure owned by Mohan Bharuka and Om Bharuka, which had been marked for demolition by the municipality in March due to structural risks. Despite the warning, the owners failed to act. On the night of the incident, continuous rainfall between midnight and 3 a.m. caused the weakened wall to collapse around 3 am, crashing into the adjoining tin-roofed house of Ashpak Shaikh, a local painter. The Shaikh family was awake at the time, clearing rainwater leaking through the roof. Ayesha, the youngest, was asleep and was crushed under the debris. Injured in the incident includes Ashpak Shaikh (48), Saadia Shaikh (35), Rizwan Shaikh (14), Dishan Shaikh (16), Arshid Shaikh, Heena Shaikh and Aashan Shaikh. All are undergoing treatment at the Kannad Rural Hospital. The last three sustained minor injuries. The incident has triggered public outrage over civic negligence and the property owners’ failure to act despite municipal directives. Local authorities are expected to launch a formal inquiry.