Balangir: A 65-year-old man was killed, and his wife was seriously injured after a mud wall of their house collapsed following incessant rain in Balangir district Sunday.
The deceased was identified as Gandaram Kumbhar, while his wife, Laxmi Kumbhar, 62, was admitted to Bhima Bhoi Medical College and Hospital in Balangir with critical injuries.
The incident occurred at Luhurenpali village under Patharla gram panchayat in the Puintala police station area.
According to local residents, the elderly couple lived in a mud house that had been weakened by continuous rainfall.
A section of the wall collapsed late Saturday night while the couple was asleep inside, trapping both of them under the rubble.
Villagers noticed the damaged house Sunday morning and rushed to the spot.
They rescued the couple and took them to Bhima Bhoi Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared Gandaram dead.
Laxmi, who was unconscious, remains under treatment. After a post-mortem examination, Gandaram’s body was handed over to his family.
The family, which belongs to an economically weaker section, has appealed to the government for financial assistance.
