BALLARI: A fourteen-year-old girl was killed and 53 others injured when the portico of an old building they were standing on collapsed at Hospet's Chithvadgi Layout in Ballari district on Friday. They had gathered on the portico at 4.45 am to watch a religious procession.
The deceased was identified as Usha. According to police, over 50 people had gathered on the portico of the house belonging to one Chigare Yenkanna. An equal number of people were standing under the portico when the incident occurred.
Seven people, who received serious injuries, have been admitted to Vijayanagara Institute of Medical Sciences in Ballari. People who had gathered at the spot helped in shifting the injured to the hospital.
The Chithvadgi police, who rushed to the spot, helped in clearing the debris and in shifting the injured. Deputy Commissioner Ram Prasath Manohar and Superintendent of Police Arun Rangarajan inspected the spot and also visited the hospital. A case has been registered and investigations are on. Shivanand S Patil, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, announced a compensation of `50,000 to the family of the deceased “I was standing on the ground floor when the portico collapsed. Luckily, I managed to escape,” said Murthy, a resident of Munirabad, who sustained injuries to his head.
Renukamma, a resident of Munirabad, said the incident occurred at around 4.45 am. “I had come to witness the procession ... I was standing atop the building, suddenly, the building came down. I don’t know how it happened and I fell unconscious. When I woke up, I was in the hospital,” she said.