10-Year-Old Dies After Stairs Collapse at Derelict Water Tank in UP

Lucknow: A 10-year-old boy named Siddharth died after the stairs of a dilapidated, decommissioned water tank collapsed in Siddharth Nagar district, Uttar Pradesh. He was rushed to hospital but succumbed to his injuries.

Four other children were also injured in the incident. Golu (12) and Sunny (14) sustained serious injuries and were transferred to Gorakhpur for specialised treatment. Two other children, Pawan (14) and Shaban (12), were trapped on top of the tank and had to be rescued by an Army helicopter in an operation that lasted approximately 15 minutes in the early hours of Sunday.

The five children had climbed the 30-year-old, structurally unsafe tank in the Kashiram Housing area, and the stairs gave way as they were descending. District Magistrate Shivasharanappa G N called in the Air Force after rain overnight blocked other rescue options.

Authorities had previously warned that the tank was unsafe. Despite the warnings, local residents said children regularly climbed it to film social media content.