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Kerala: 3 workers from West Bengal killed after building collapsed in Thrissur
Built with laterite stones, the old building located near the Kodakara panchayat office housed around 17 inter-state workers
Kochi: Three workers from West Bengal were killed after a two-storey dilapidated building collapsed in Kerala’s Thrissur district on Friday morning, police said.
Built with laterite stones, the old building located near the Kodakara panchayat office housed around 17 inter-state workers, an officer said.
The workers were getting ready to leave for work when the building collapsed around 6 am, trapping three — Rahul Islam (19), Abidul Aleem (21), and Rupel Mannan (21) — while 14 workers managed to escape, the officer added.
Police suspect that heavy rainfall over the past few days in the region weakened the structure.
“A comprehensive investigation will be done on how the building collapsed and why people were allowed to live in it,” district collector Arjun Pandian, who visited the spot and reviewed the search and rescue operations, said.
Pandian said that before the onset of monsoon, the local self-government (LSG) department orders all buildings to be examined and ratified if they are fit to stand. “Directions were also issued to check the status of buildings specifically housing inter-state workers,” he added.
Pandian said that arrangements are being made to transport the deceased back to their native villages.
