Two children, including a four-year-old girl, died after a cement water tank collapsed at a shanty settlement near G-21 Society in Sector 83, Gurugram. The mothers of both children were also injured after they were trapped beneath the debris.
Police have registered an FIR against the contractor who constructed the water tank under Section 106 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Kherki Daula police station. An investigation into the incident is underway.
According to police, Sharif Ali, a mason originally from Malda in West Bengal, has been living in a rented shanty in Sector 83 and working as a mason for around a year. His wife, Rubina Bibi, is employed in housekeeping at a housing society.
As per the complaint, a cement water tank measuring around 10 feet in length, 5 feet in width and 5 feet in height had been built at the settlement three or four days before the incident. The structure was constructed for storing water.
The tank was completed on September 25 and subsequently filled with water. Residents were then asked to use it for their water needs.
At the time of the incident, Rubina had gone to the tank to bathe her four-year-old daughter, Sumaiya. Another woman had also reached the spot to bathe her young son.
The wall of the tank suddenly collapsed, bringing the structure down on the two children and the women. Local residents immediately began clearing the debris and pulled the injured victims out.
The two children were taken to a hospital for treatment. However, doctors declared both of them dead on arrival.
A senior police officer said an FIR had been registered and that the bodies of the children were handed over to their families after the postmortem examination.
The officer also said police were investigating the case and that the contractor accused of constructing the tank would be arrested soon.