KOZHIKODE: Two persons were killed in a major accident at the Valiyangadi market in Kozhikode after a massive concrete sunshade slab collapsed from an ageing building on Monday morning, triggering public outrage over alleged official apathy.
The sunshade slab detached from a 70 year old building in a high traffic zone near the fish market, where headload workers and truck drivers routinely gather to rest and coordinate cargo loads. The deceased have been identified as Ashraf and Jabbar. Three others, Vinod, Basheer and Koya, were injured and admitted to hospital.
Rescue operations were launched immediately, with local labourers and residents attempting to clear the debris using their bare hands and crowbars until Fire and Rescue Services personnel arrived with specialised cutting machinery.
The structural failure has drawn sharp criticism as details emerged about the building’s history of neglect. Once a hub for government activity housing the regional Sales Tax Office, the structure, estimated by locals to be nearly 80 years old, had been considered unsafe for years. A local worker, Basheer, said small chunks of concrete had been falling for days and the slab was visibly precarious, adding that the incident was a disaster waiting to happen.
Despite the Kozhikode Corporation having officially marked the building for demolition and issued eviction notices years ago, business activities continued uninterrupted. A new shop had even been inaugurated on the ground floor just a month before the collapse. Corporation authorities have said demolition was stalled earlier due to opposition from local residents.
As emergency teams continued clearing the site to ensure no other victims were trapped beneath the rubble, several motorcycles and scooters parked under the building’s shade were found crushed. Traffic diversions remained in place across the Valiyangadi area to facilitate the movement of emergency vehicles.