Three arrested after building collapse in Prayagraj leaves four dead

PRAYAGRAJ: Three people were arrested in connection with the collapse of a cold storage facility that killed at least four people in Prayagraj, police officials said.

Ganga Nagar Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Kuldeep Gunawat informed that a case has been registered at Phaphamau police station against seven people. Of the named accused, Ansar Ahmad, Alauddin and Manzoor Ilahi, were arrested on March 24 near Bhadori Railway Overbridge in Phaphamau, he said.

“A case has been registered under relevant sections at Phaphamau police station against 7 named accused and 4-5 unidentified persons. Of the named accused, Ansar Ahmad, Alauddin, and Manzoor Ilahi, were arrested on March 24 near Bhadori Railway Overbridge in Phaphamau. A car and cold storage documents were seized from them. They have been sent to jail, and legal proceedings are under way,” the DCP said in a video message.

#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: On the collapse of a part of a cold storage facility in Prayagraj, Gangan Nagar DCP Kuldeep Gunawat says, “On March 23, around 1:30 PM, an explosion occurred in the ammonia gas chamber used for cooling at Adarsh Cold Storage in Chandapur Murhu, causing the… pic.twitter.com/lToWrORXiX

— ANI (@ANI) March 25, 2026

A part of a cold storage facility collapsed in Prayagraj after an explosion occurred in the ammonia gas chamber used for cooling at Adarsh Cold Storage in Chandapur Murhu. The explosion, which took place around 1:30 PM on March 23, caused the walls and roof of the facility to collapse, trapping several workers under the debris.

“On March 23, around 1.30 pm, an explosion occurred in the ammonia gas chamber used for cooling at Adarsh Cold Storage in Chandapur Murhu, causing the walls and roof of the cold storage to collapse, in which several workers were trapped under the debris”, DCP Gunawat said.

#WATCH | Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh | Rescue operations are underway at the site where a part of the cold storage facility in the Phaphamau area collapsed.

An eyewitness, Bhola, says, “The blast occurred at 2 PM. The walls collapsed… I was right there…” (23.03) pic.twitter.com/PHQG9RgJJ8

— ANI (@ANI) March 23, 2026

“Local police, NDRF, SDRF, fire brigade, and municipal corporation teams jointly launched a rescue operation, in which 18 trapped individuals were successfully rescued. They were immediately taken to the hospital, where four died,” he said.

Earlier, PM Modi also expressed grief over the incident and prayed for the recovery of the injured. He even announced on Monday, a financial compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for people injured.

Taking it to X, the PMO wrote, “Deeply saddened by the mishap due to the collapse of a building in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. My thoughts are with the affected people and their families in this difficult hour. May those injured recover at the earliest. An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000: PM.” (ANI)