Five-storey building collapses in Wayanad

KALPETTA: A five-storey building which was under construction on a private land near the KSRTC garage collapsed during the wee hours at Kalpetta on Tuesday. The building collapsed due to irregularities in construction and was readying for inauguration next week, according to sources. The building fell on a huge tree which got uprooted and fell on a KSRTC bus parked in the garage.

The loss to the KSRTC is believed to be around Rs 2 lakh. A stream flowing near the land also has been blocked with the debris. District collector Kesavendra Kumar visited the spot. Mr Kumar told DC that he had gone to the site to get an on the spot feel. “There is clear cut violation of building norms and officials concerned were directed to submit a report”, he said. “Strict action will follow after the report”, he added.

Located along the Kozhikode- Bangalore National Highway, a major disaster was averted as the building fell into the valley at night, said Vijayan Madakkimala, a KSRTC employee. “If the incident occurred during day time, hundreds of workers on the construction site and buses plying towards KSRTC also would have been affected”, he added.