Family escapes unhurt after BSNL tower falls on house

Jammu Tawi, May 11: A family had a narrow escape after a Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) mobile tower fell on their house following high-speed winds and a severe storm in Samba district, officials said.

The incident took place in Pangdour village during the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, when strong winds accompanied by heavy lightning and rain lashed the area, causing widespread damage, they said.

Officials said the BSNL tower collapsed onto the house of Banarsi Dass, damaging their residence. Two rooms of the house were damaged, while nearby tin sheds and solar panels were also destroyed, they said.

“A powerful storm accompanied by strong winds hit the area at midnight. The mobile tower collapsed completely onto their house, causing damage to two rooms,” an official said.

Recalling the terrifying incident, Banarsi Dass said he was awake around 12:30 in mid night when he heard a massive crashing sound amid intense lightning and rainfall.

“The noise was so loud that initially we could not understand what had fallen. I immediately told the children to remain inside and not come out,” he said.

Dass said that after the rain subsided slightly, the family came outside and discovered that the tower had fallen on their house.

“Two of our rooms have been damaged, though the side sheds remained safe. Thankfully, nobody was inside the rooms at the time, otherwise it could have turned into a major tragedy,” he added.

Dass said the storm and lightning were unlike anything witnessed in the area before and added that electricity remained disrupted for nearly 11 hours after the incident.

He appealed to the administration for assistance in rebuilding the damaged house.

According to the family, the tower belonged to BSNL and had been installed in 2012. BSNL officials also visited the site after the incident.

Despite the heavy damage to the house and the telecom infrastructure, no casualties or injuries were reported, they said.

The family said they were fortunate that the tower did not fall on the side of the house where family members were sleeping, which could have resulted in a major tragedy.