Five people, including four children, died in Odisha’s Rayagada district when an under-construction culvert under which they were bathing collapsed on Monday morning.

The children were bathing in the water that accumulated on the nullah following heavy rain. The culvert was under construction over the nullah (a small stream) to give connectivity in rural areas.

The incident took place at Upper Saja village under Kalyansinghpur block in Rayagada district in southern Odisha, about 500km from here.

Sources said a group of children on Monday morning went to take a bath in the water of the nullah over which a culvert was constructed. Suddenly the culvert caved in. Four children and a 50-year-old villager came under the crashed culvert and died on the spot. The children were in the age group of four to eight.

Sources said the work on the culvert began two months ago and the centering work for the culvert was done. “For the last few days, rain battered the area and it was decided that a concrete roof on the culvert would be done after the rain subsided. The centering work of the culvert was completed. No sign board was put there showing its under-construction culvert. Suddenly it collapsed following a spate of rain. The children and a few others who were taking baths in the nullah came under the crashed culvert and died,” officials said.

The locals alleged substandard work has led to the collapse of the culvert.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, expressing condolences over the incident, ordered a probe into the incident. “Strict action would be taken against those responsible for the collapse,” said chief minister Naveen Patnaik. He also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh for the kin of each member of the deceased.

The locals staged a demonstration demanding compensation for the next of kin of the deceased.

Law minister Jagannath Saraka reached the spot and assured the locals that a probe would be ordered.

‘Rapist’ lynched

A 35-year-old man, accused of raping a girl, was beaten to death allegedly by the victim’s family in Odisha’s Kandhamal district, police said.

It is alleged that an operator of a concrete mixture machine, who hailed from Chhattisgarh, raped the girl on Saturday when she was outside her home, police said.

Her father and uncle beat up the accused with sticks, killing him on the spot, police said.

PTI