Woman dies as old house collapses in Ahmedabad’s Ghee Kanta area

A 62-year-old woman lost her life after a house collapsed during sewerage work in the Ghee Kanta area of Ahmedabad on Tuesday.

The incident took place around noon at a house in Navtad Ni Pol, where excavation work for a sewerage line was reportedly underway.

As per officials, three people were trapped under the debris when the structure gave way. Fire brigade teams rushed to the spot, removed the rubble and rescued all three victims, who were immediately shifted to hospital for treatment.

Police sources said the deceased was identified as Pushpaben Panchal, who was sitting on the first floor of the house at the time of the collapse. She sustained severe head injuries and was taken to Civil Hospital in Asarwa, where she later died during treatment. Two other persons injured in the incident are currently undergoing medical care.

Local residents alleged that the collapse was triggered by ongoing sewerage excavation in the narrow lane, which weakened the foundation and walls of the house. They claimed that several neighbouring houses remain at risk due to similar work being carried out in the area.

Following the incident, the local MLA, the Deputy Commissioner of Police and senior officials from the Amdavad Municipal Corporation’s estate department visited the site to assess the situation.

Municipal officials, however, reportedly denied that the sewerage work was responsible for the collapse. They maintained that the building was old and structurally weak, and said that only manual excavation was being carried out due to the narrow streets. “No heavy machinery is used in such areas, and it is unlikely that hand-dug excavation alone could have caused the collapse,” an official said.