Collapse of building wall triggers panic

The Hindu The compound wall of the house near Edachira junction in Kakkanad collapsed on Sunday allegedly due to unscientific soil mining by neighbour. It has threatened the existence of the two-storied building. Photo: Thulasi Kakkat

: The compound wall of a three-storied house near Edachira, Kakkanad caved in during the heavy rain that lashed the region on Saturday midnight. The incident spooked residents and locals as it comes a month after a three-storied buildingcollapseclaimed three lives at Aluva.

The police said the compound wall of the five cent property owned by Sukumaran collapsed onto the adjacent compound, located about 20 feet deep off the ground level. The solid-blocks wall along with a make-shit shed on the higher gradient began to give way around 12 midnight and it collapsed completely about four hours later. However, no causalities have been reported and those inside the building were evacuated to the houses nearby, police said.

The building had about 14 persons living in it, including the six-member family of the property owner and migrant labourers. They were evacuated from the spot with the help of local residents and the police.

The 15-cent property onto which the building collapsed was owned by a person called Jose, settled in Bangalore.

Chairman of the Thrikkakara Municipality Shaji Vazhakkala attribute the incident to the unscientific soil mining in the adjacent property owned by Jose. Steps are on to remove the debris from the spot and strengthen the building with a retaining wall. The construction of the wall will begin once the authorities complete inspections in the area, he said, adding that the cost of the works would be recovered from the owner of the neighbourhood property.

Additional District Magistrate B. Ramachandran, who visited the spot on Sunday, said an investigation was on to assess whether the collapse had weakened the building. The evacuees would be permitted to return only after a detailed examination by experts from the PWD buildings division.

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Collapse of building wall triggers panic