Three killed, 24 injured in balcony collapse

Bareilly (UP), Nov 24 (PTI) Three persons were killed and 24 others injured when a balcony on which several people had collected to witness a religious procession collapsed in Bairamnagar village here, police said today.

Huge crowds had gathered in the village under Shergarh Police Station area last evening to witness ‘Chehallum procession’ when the balcony of Mobin Khan’s house collapsed.

Several people on the balcony and standing underneath suffered injuries of which Sardar Ahmed (40), Mohd Zakir (25), and Taslim (20) were killed, SP Rural Yamuna Prasad said.

The 24 injured were admitted to different hospitals and condition of four were said to be critical, the SP added.

Chehallum is a Shia Muslim religious observance that occurs forty days after the Day of Ashura. It commemorates the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad, who was killed on the 10th day of the month of Muharram in 680 AD.