MUZAFFARABAD: A female brick kiln worker and her two minor daughters were killed after the mud roof of their room collapsed in the early hours of Monday, police said.

The incident occurred on the premises of the kiln in Kangra village in the jurisdiction of Ali Beg police station of Azad Kashmir’s southernmost Bhimber district, said Station House Officer (SHO) Sadaqat Hussain.

Mr Hussain said the victim family had placed additional mud on the roof of their room on Sunday night to prevent seepage in the face of rains.

However, the roof could not withstand the load and caved in at about 4am, causing the death of Shaheen Bibi, 46, Mehnaz, 9, and Pari, 3, on the spot.

Bibi’s spouse Hakim Deen and five other children, who were also in the same room, survived with bruises.

The SHO said fellow workers rescued the bodies which were later laid to rest in a local graveyard. The victim family belonged to Bahawalpur.

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2022