Four persons, including three children, were killed and six others injured when an old building collapsed at pilgrim city Puri, nearly 65 km from here, on Saturday night.
According to the police, at least 10 persons, including six members of a tourist family, were staying in the ill-fated house, when it collapsed at around 3 am.
While two members of the tourist family died, the wife and 12-year-old daughter of the building’s caretaker also perished in the mishap.
Sources said although the house was very old and declare unsafe, its owner, a Jagannath temple priest, would give it on rent to visiting tourists to earn a few extra bucks.
“I have sought a detailed report from the Puri district administration on the incident. Besides, the government has also sought a detailed report from the Puri-Konark Development Authority on the total number of unsafe buildings in Puri and Konark towns,” Urban development minister Debi Prasad Mishra said.
The house owner was detained by the local police.
State chief minister Naveen Patnaik announced `1 lakh ex-gratia each for the next of the kin of the deceased and free medical treatment for the injured.
In a similar incident at R.R. Pur under Jaleswar police limit in Balasore district, two women and four cattle died in wall collapse on Sunday.
The mishap occurred due to heavy rains.