Kunnamangalam: Pedestrians and commuters had a close shave on Thursday night after chunks of concrete from the upper-floor ceiling of the Panchayat Shopping Complex near the Old Bus Stand peeled off and crashed onto the adjacent road.

The incident occurred around 8.30 pm. Massive pieces of concrete fell from the rear of the building, landing directly in front of a shop below. A major tragedy was averted as the debris first hit a corrugated metal awning outside the shop, which cushioned its fall and absorbed much of the impact, combined with the sheer luck that no vehicles or passersby were directly underneath at that exact moment.

The road, which leads toward the new bus stand and auto-rickshaw stand, is a bustling corridor that witnesses heavy foot traffic during the day, particularly with school and college students. Local shopkeepers mentioned that commuters had walked past the spot merely moments before the collapse. The deafening crash sparked widespread panic and alarm among people in the vicinity.