Three killed as portico of community centre crashes
TIRUPPUR: Three persons who took shelter in a community centre died after the portico of the building collapsed in the rain at Kozhumam in Udumalaipet on Monday.
According to police, a large number of people from the village were waiting for buses on Palani Road to reach Udumalaipet town. Around 7.45 a.m., it began to drizzle, M Muraliraja (35), B Manikandan (28) and C Gowtham (29) walked under the portico of the community centre situated nearby. Suddenly the roof collapsed and the trio suffered injuries on the head, shoulders and neck.
Though local people rescued and sent them to Udumalaipet Government Hospital in an ambulance, they were declared dead on arrival. Komaralingam Police registered a case. The preliminary investigation revealed that the roof was in a dilapidated condition and it collapsed during the heavy rain. Sources said the centre was built by the local community members several decades ago and occasionally opened for conducting meets.
To enable the use of space outside, locals had built a protruding roof measuring 15 feet in length and 3 feet in width using two large iron grills on either side a few years ago. In summer, this was used as sun shade and attracted many. As the years passed, the structure had weakened. For the past three days, heavy rains have been lashing Udumalaipet. Chief Minister MK Stalin announced a solatium of Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of the deceased.