The deceased Bindu was found after her husband, Vishruthan, raised an alarm saying she might have gone into the washroom in the collapsed building.
Published Jul 03, 2025 | 4:26 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 03, 2025 | 4:26 PM
A portion of the building collapsed at 10.45 am on 3 July.
Synopsis: The government and hospital authorities claimed that the building was not in use. However, Arpookara Panchayat President Deepa Jose told the media that the building was in use.
A woman was killed and three others were injured when a portion of a building at Kottayam Medical College Hospital collapsed on Thursday, 3 July.
The deceased, Bindu of Thalayolaparambu, was trapped under the debris. She was pulled out after two hours and shifted to the hospital, where she died.
Another woman and two children suffered injuries and were undergoing treatment.
The three-storey building next to Ward 14 collapsed around 10.45 am. Initially it was believed that no one had been trapped.
Health Minister Veena George and Cooperation Minister VN Vasavan visited the scene of the accident. The ministers were in Kottayam to attend a meeting on administrative and developmental activities, also attended by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Hospital Superintendent Dr. Jayakumar TK told reporters that the collapsed building was in a dilapidated condition, and access to it had already been completely restricted for safety reasons.
He clarified that while the incident posed no immediate threat to the adjacent wards, around 100 to 120 patients from three nearby wards were relocated as a precautionary step.
Health Minister Veena George stated that the collapsed building had long been identified as unsafe, and the government had already initiated steps to shift its services to a newly constructed facility funded by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB).
She added that deliberations on the relocation process were actively underway at the time of the incident. Minister Vasavan said that the building was not in use and was being used as a waste dumping site.
Congress MLA Chandy Oommen alleged that the rescue efforts were not being carried out properly and questioned the ministers’ as well as the hospital authorities’ claim that the collapsed building was not in use. The MLA and others held a protest at the scene, saying the search and rescue mission missed the golden hour as hospital authorities took the stance that the building was not being used by patients or bystanders.
Arpookara Panchayat President Deepa Jose told the media that the building was in use.
The building housed washrooms, and patients, as well as bystanders, reportedly used them.
However, it has been alleged that despite the building being in a poor condition and entry of people restricted, no warning signs were put up.
Among the injured was Alina Vincent (11), a native of Meenangadi in Wayanad. The child was a bystander as her grandmother Thresyamma, who was recovering after surgery in the 10th ward.
She suffered injury as debris struck her. Doctors later confirmed that Alina’s injuries were not serious.
In the chaos, Amal Pradeep, an emergency department staffer, was hit by a trolley while assisting in the evacuation and suffered minor injuries.
The deceased Bindu was found after her husband, Vishruthan, raised an alarm saying she might have gone into the washroom in the collapsed building. Their daughter was undergoing treatment at the hospital’s Trauma Care unit.
Rescue teams and fire force personnel launched an intense search, and after two and a half hours, Bindu was pulled out from beneath the debris.
Earlier, authorities had claimed that initial inspections did not indicate any other persons trapped under the debris.
A thorough examination of the collapsed area was conducted after Bindu was reported missing.
The accident has sparked concerns over the structural safety of older hospital buildings.
The building collapsed occurred even as a row over ill-equipped medical colleges has been raging in Kerala.
