Ghaziabad, Jan 3 (IANS): Roof of a cemetery collapsed on Sunday in Muradnagar area here after heavy rains leaving 19 dead and 20 injured. The teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) retrieved three bodies while the remaining were recovered by police and district administration during the rescue operation, officials told IANS.

After the NDRF teams called off the rescue operation, NDRF Deputy Commandant Rajkamal Malik said, "Two teams of 45 men each searched the whole site and now no one else is feared to be trapped inside."

SHO Muradnagar Inspector Amit Kumar said that 19 people have lost their lives while 20 received serious injuries. However, the official numbers will be announced by the District Magistrate.

The injured have been admitted to the various hospitals including district hospital of Ghaziabad for the treatment, Kumar added.

The incident was reported in the morning when around 50 people, who came for the last rites of a fruit-seller, took shelter under a recently built structure of the cemetery to save themselves from getting drenched.

However, minutes later, the roof of the structure collapsed.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adtiyanath had taken cognizance of the incident and ordered the DM and SSP of the district to ensure the effective rescue of the victims.