MUZAFFARABAD: A woman and her nephew were killed when part of the mud roof of a house collapsed in a suburban village of Rawalakot, police said on Monday.

Station House Officer (SHO) of Khaigala Sardar Idrees Chughtai told Dawn that the recent rainspell had rendered the mud-made house of Sardar Ayaz in Mirangalla shabby.

On Sunday-Monday night, the wooden roof beams in one portion collapsed, and resultantly, Parveen Akhtar, 55, and her eight-year-old nephew Sufyan were buried under mounds of earth.

Mr Ayaz, who was sleeping in the adjacent room, raised the alarm, following which several neighbours rushed to rescue the trapped duo, the SHO said.

However, he added that while Sufyan had died on the spot, Ms Akhtar was recovered alive in a critical condition but succumbed on the way to the hospital.

Meanwhile, in Mirpur district, a teenage boy committed suicide by jumping in the Upper Jhelum Canal near Pul Manda village in the jurisdiction of the Afzalpur police station on Monday.

SHO Arshad Mahmood told Dawn that the 17-year-old boy, identified as Mohammad Mohsin, son of Shahid Rashid, arrived at Pul Manda, located 2km away from his Bhains Sharif village, on a motorbike and jumped into the canal at about 3pm, much to the shock of some people present there.

“Though his family expresses ignorance about the reason behind the extreme step, our investigations have revealed that the boy had an argument with his father, who wanted him to give proper time to their grocery shop,” he added.

The SHO said despite efforts of the divers, the body could not be retrieved till late in the evening.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2024