A woman died and three people were injured after a building block of Medical College Hospital, Kottayam, collapsed on Thursday. The deceased, Bindu (52), was a native of Thalayolaparambu, Kottayam. She was trapped under the rubble following the incident and was pulled out two hours later. 

The injured are Aleena (11), Amal Pradeep (20) and Jinu Saji (38). All three sustained only minor injuries in the mishap.

While initial reports suggested nobody was trapped, a woman, Bindu, was reported missing, following which the search was intensified. She was shifted to the hospital, but succumbed. Meanwhile, tense scenes unravelled at the accident site after the people demanded that the search continue, as more people were trapped inside.

A portion of the building adjacent to ward number 14 collapsed at the Kottayam Medical College. The three-storey building housing restrooms caved in around 10.45 am. A woman and two children were injured and were shifted to the casualty. The incident happened even as the state government grapples with a row over equipment shortage and infrastructure-related issues in Government Medical Colleges. 

Eye-witnesses and bystanders of patients who were present at the site told the media that they saw the building come down with a heavy thud. "All three people who got injured were immediately rescued and taken to the casualty for emergency medical care," a bystander said.

A regional review meeting of administrative and developmental activities by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is currently underway in Kottayam. Ministers V N Vasavan and Veena George reached the spot.

“We received an alert at 10.55 am about people trapped inside the collapsed building. Two units were immediately dispatched from here, and we are awaiting further details. Units from the nearby stations are also dispatched,” said Ranjith Krishnan, an official at the Kottayam Fire Station.

Minister Vasavan said that no one has sustained serious injuries. " All the injured are bystanders, not patients. They might have entered the area to sit or rest. It was a closed section, which the authorities were using to dump waste materials,” said Vasavan.

Health Minister Veena George, who arrived at the site, said the building was not in use. “This was a closed building. We have already decided to shift all activities related to this block. A new building has been constructed using funds from KIIFB, and it is now ready for use,” said Veena George.

“We had constructed the new building after the now-collapsed structure was found to be unfit and in a dilapidated condition. Its parlous state had been identified earlier. It is suspected that the injured may have been standing near Ward 10, close to the third floor of the building,” said an official from the Medical College.