KOTTAYAM: In what could be termed as grave negligence, a woman trapped under the debris of a collapsed building at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kottayam died due to delays in conducting rescue operations on Thursday. The deceased has been identified as Bindu, 52, a native of Thalayolapparambu in Kottayam.
A portion of a building at the Government MCH collapsed around 10.30 am. While people on the spot managed to rescue two persons with minor injuries from the debris, Health Minister Veena George and Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan, who arrived at the scene shortly after the accident, asserted that the building was not in use and that no one was trapped under the rubble.
The ministers’ statements allegedly contributed to a significant delay in the rescue operations, as excavators were not brought to the site until 12.30 pm, two hours after the accident.
The collapsed building, situated deep within the hospital campus, further delayed the timely arrival of rescue equipment. Hospital authorities earlier said the collapsed section was part of an old and disused bathroom complex attached to the 14th ward (Orthopaedics Department) of the hospital.
Vasavan said the building was not in use and had become a dumping area for waste. However, eyewitnesses at the scene said that the bathrooms were still operational and had been used by patients and bystanders arriving at the 14th ward.
It was only after Bindu's daughter reported that her mother had gone to the bathroom and could not be reached by phone that authorities decided to conduct a thorough search of the debris.
By the time Bindu was recovered from the rubble and shifted to the casualty department, which was only a few metres away from the accident site, she had already succumbed to her injuries.
Rajan Khobragade, Additional Chief Secretary of the Health Department, arrived at the site. The authorities evacuated patients and bystanders from wards 10, 11 and 14 following the accident.
The incident sparked widespread protests from opposition parties, highlighting ongoing concerns regarding the condition of facilities at government medical colleges and the structural integrity of the buildings.
UDF leaders, including Chandy Oommen MLA, visited the site and raised alarms about the building’s usage.