Building collapses in Kozhikode railway station; trains being delayed

KOZHIKODE: The clock tower of the Kozhikode railway station collapsed amidst the heavy rains. The building collapsed Thursday morning at 11.10 am. The accident happened on the second platform of the Kozhikode railway station. The clock tower adjacent to the office of the station master collapsed completely. A major tragedy was averted as there were no passengers on the platform at the time of the incident.

No casualties have been reported. It is not clear whether there were any employees in the building at the time of the accident. The fire force team has reached the spot and will examine after removing the debris.

Some trains via Kozhikode will be delayed. As per the information at 12.15 pm, the Eranad Express from Mangaluru to Thiruvananthapuram will be delayed by one and a half hours and the Netravati Express from Mumbai to Thiruvananthapuram will be delayed by two and a half hours.

The building debris, including sheets, fell on top of the power lines on the platform. As a precautionary measure, the electricity on tracks one, two and three was switched off, affecting train traffic. The old clock tower collapsed while the Kozhikode-Kannur passenger train, which was scheduled to depart at 2.05 pm, was on the platform. Railway sources said that it will take time to remove the debris.