5 of family die as tree falls on house in Sitamarhi

Patna: Five members of a family, including three children, died after a large tree collapsed on their house in Sitamarhi district late on Monday night. The incident took place in Rewasi Dhanushi Tola of Ward No. 1 under Riga police station area.

According to police, all the family members were asleep inside their mud house when a decades-old peepal tree suddenly came crashing down around 11pm. The impact completely destroyed the structure, trapping the occupants beneath the debris.

The victims were identified as Pooja Devi (28), wife of Sikandar Sahni, her seven-year-old son Rajkumar, five-year-old daughter Shivani and one-month-old son Liger Kumar. All four died on the spot. The couple’s two-year-old son, Veerbhard Kumar, was rescued in a critical condition and rushed to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment.

As news of the incident spread, villagers rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation, attempting to pull the family members from beneath the collapsed house. The incident triggered panic in the locality.

Senior administrative and police officials, including Sadar SDPO Rajiv Kumar Singh, Riga SHO Abhishek Tripathi and block development officer Sanjay Pathak, reached the site after receiving information about the incident. The officials inspected the area and monitored the rescue and relief operations.

Officials said the peepal tree was very old and its roots had been weakened by frequent storms, causing it to collapse. The district administration has initiated the process of providing govt assistance and compensation to the bereaved family.