Muradnagar Crematorium Shelter Collapse (3 January 2021): At Least 23 Dead, Later Reports 24 to 25

A family had gathered to cremate a relative. It started to rain, so the mourners stepped under a new concrete shelter built to keep people dry. The roof came down on them.

What happened

Around noon on 3 January 2021, about 60 people were attending a cremation at the Ukhlarsi cremation ground in Muradnagar, Ghaziabad district, Uttar Pradesh. It was raining, and many of them took cover under a recently built shelter. The roof slab and its supports collapsed onto the crowd.

Reports of the toll differ, and we give each one with its date and source rather than adding them up:

• The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), on 5 January 2021, cited a media report of at least 23 dead and more than 30 injured. That was a media figure, not an NHRC count.
• PTI reported 24 dead and 17 injured on 4 January 2021.
• Some outlets, such as India TV on 4 January 2021, reported 25 dead.

We have not been able to verify a final official casualty record.

Response

Residents, workers, police and the National Disaster Response Force pulled survivors out of the rubble. The Chief Minister announced ₹2 lakh for the family of each person who died and ordered reports from the Meerut divisional commissioner and the ADG of the Meerut zone.

An FIR was registered. On 4 January police arrested three officials of the Muradnagar Nagar Palika: the executive officer, a junior engineer and a supervisor. The contractor was booked and was being searched for at the time. Families of the victims blocked the Delhi-Meerut highway that day, demanding more compensation and government jobs.

On 5 January 2021 NHRC issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, asking for a detailed report within four weeks, including a review of crematoriums, burial grounds and similar public buildings maintained by local bodies across the state.

What is known about the cause

An initial site inspection pointed to the construction itself. The chief engineer of the Ghaziabad Development Authority told Hindustan Times that the inspection found substandard material and design issues that led to structural failure, that the slabs did not seem to have been properly bound, and that Nagar Palika officials could not show proper designs for the structure. He said rain had most likely triggered the collapse. More testing of the material was still to be done.

The shelter was new. Reports at the time said it had been built only in the previous few months.

What remains unknown

• The final technical report and the results of material tests.
• The outcome of any court case. We have not verified any judicial status, and arrests are not convictions.
• A final, official count of the dead and injured.

Lessons

A shelter built to keep mourners out of the rain fell on them in the rain. New public construction is not safe just because it is new. Someone independent of the contractor has to check the materials, the design and the workmanship.

• Test materials, reinforcement and concrete curing during construction, and keep the records.
• Get independent completion certification before any public structure is opened.
• Design flat shelter roofs for drainage and ponding water.
• Inspect crematoriums and similar public shelters regularly, as NHRC asked the state to review.
• Plan heavy lifting equipment and access routes for collapse rescue.

If you hear cracking or see a roof sag, get out from under it at once. If you cannot, take cover beside something solid and protect your head. If you are trapped, tap on a pipe or wall and save your voice until you hear rescuers. Call 112 with the exact location and how many people were under the roof, and do not climb onto loose debris to pull people out if more could fall.

Next time you stand under a shelter roof, look up first. If you see cracks, sagging or water pouring through, stay out from under it and report it to the municipality.

More on Ghaziabad: see our fire and emergency safety guide for emergency numbers, the fire stations and the local risks to know.

Reporting limits

NHRC’s figures of 5 January 2021 repeat a media report and are not an NHRC casualty audit. PTI (4 January 2021) reported 24 deaths and 17 injured, and some outlets reported 25 deaths; injury definitions are not reconciled, and dated counts are not added together. The initial inspection findings are as reported by Hindustan Times; the final technical report and court outcomes are not verified here. Commercial news photographs and video stills are linked, not copied.