Concrete sunshade collapses claiming lives of three workers in Kozhikode

KOZHIKODE: Three workers were killed after a sunshade slab of a building collapsed in Valiyangadi near the beach. Five workers trapped inside were taken out by the fire brigade and admitted to the hospital, but the lives of three could not be saved. Loading workers identified as Jabbar, Ashraf and Basheer are the three dead. Reports say the life of one seriously injured is critical. Workers and firefighters worked hard to take out those trapped inside the slab. One person was pulled out after cutting the slab.

The big slab of the building that was functioning as a passport office collapsed. It is now being used as a godown of the nearby firm. The slab collapsed while the workers were resting on the floor near the shutter after unloading goods into the godown. Two of the workers had a narrow escape as they ran seeing the slab collapsing. This is a 60-year-old building owned by the corporation.

Many two-wheelers are trapped in the collapsed slab. The accident is as the building is decades old. The locals said that although the corporation issued a notice to vacate the building, some traders ignored it. There are also allegations that the corporation did not take any action to vacate the building. They pointed that even a danger warning board was not placed. The mayor informed that people will not be allowed to enter the building anymore and the lapses will be investigated.

Meantime, the workers staged protests over the incident. The workers of Valiyangadi have announced a strike. A clash broke out during the BJP's march to Kozhikode Corporation. BJP workers tried to enter the mayor's chamber, but the police stopped them. There was a scuffle between the police and the workers following that. The BJP workers are protesting there.