Roof of house collapses in Shakti Nagar Chowk in Amritsar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 21

The roof of a house collapsed in the Shakti Nagar Chowk area after heavy rain in the wee hours here on Wednesday. The four family members of the house, including owner Monu Kumar, were trapped inside the room. The incident took place at around 6.15 am.

The house owner said the roof outside the room was old and built with wooden logs. “We are four family members and were sleeping inside the room. It was raining when the roof on the stairs collapsed,” he said. Those trapped inside the room have been identified as house owner Monu (30), his wife Bhawana (28), daughter Manat (2) and uncle Bhagat Ram (70).

Naresh Manchanda, a volunteer of the Sewa Society Fire Brigade, said, “We got a call at around 6.20am and we reached the spot within five minutes. One of our volunteers, Lalit Kumar Lovely, entered the room from a window and rescued the family members.”

Monsoon can worsen asthmatic conditions, says expert

Amritsar: While monsoon might be a period of great relief for most of the people as showers bring about the much-needed respite from intense heat, for those with asthma, it could be an ordeal, as it worsens their condition, said chest physician Dr Ravneet Grover. He said seasonal exacerbation of asthma is a well-known phenomenon. “Asthma is a disease that can be triggered with an allergic reaction from allergens such as mould or fungus, furry pet, dust mites and viral infection.

Less sunlight during the rainy season may lead to vitamin-D deficiency which is one of the contributing factors in the aggravation of asthma attacks,” he said. He said dampness in the surroundings leads to fungus and can trigger allergies, which may further lead to an asthma attack. Additionally, the season also brings in higher chances of viral infections and can trigger allergens and cause the symptoms to become worse, he said. Dr Grover claimed that every monsoon, there was a significant increase in asthma admissions, especially in children. “In the current scenario, when patients are not visiting hospitals or consulting doctors regularly, keeping a check on asthma exacerbation becomes crucial,” he said. A physician at Medicaid Hospital, Dr Grover said wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath were all symptoms of asthma, which is a chronic respiratory disease, arising due to the inflammation of the air passages in the lungs. TNS

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