Siddharthnagar (UP), May 3 (PTI) A 10-year-old boy died after the staircase of a defunct water tank collapsed, causing three of the five children on it to fall, officials said on Sunday.
The incident occurred on Saturday when the children had climbed the structure. Two others who fell remain in critical condition.
Two children stranded atop the tank were rescued early Sunday by an army helicopter, officials said.
Siddharthnagar District Magistrate Shivasharanappa GN said that following consultations with the Chief Minister’s Office and Relief Commissioner Dr Hrishikesh Bhaskar Yashod, an army helicopter was requisitioned from Gorakhpur.
The stranded children were rescued at around 5.20 am, in an operation lasting about 15 minutes and were later taken to Gorakhpur for treatment.
Efforts were made overnight to construct an alternate route to reach the stranded children, but rain disrupted the operation, prompting authorities to seek aerial assistance, he said, expressing gratitude to the chief minister.
According to the local corporator Satish Rastogi, the defunct water tank, located near the Kashiram Housing locality, was built around 30 years ago and had been declared unsafe.
Despite restrictions, children often climbed it to make social media reels.
On Saturday, five children climbed the tank. While descending, the staircase suddenly collapsed, causing three of them — Golu (12), Sunny (14), and Siddharth (10) — to fall.
They were rushed to a medical college, where Siddharth was declared dead on arrival, while the other two were referred to Gorakhpur in critical condition.
The remaining two children, Pavan (14) and Shaban (12), who were stranded atop the tank, were safely rescued, the district magistrate said. PTI COR NAV MDO MPL MPL
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