Muvattupuzha town woke up to a levelled three-storied building on Saturday morning as a hill behind it caved in and crumbled it under the incessant overnight rain. The loose soil swept over another building in the way and smashed it against the ill-fated building. Nothing could be recovered from shops operating out of the building, which local residents attributed to indiscriminate soil-mining. They said it posed further threat in the almost one-kilometre stretch between Vazhappilly and Velloorkkunnu.
Casualties were averted as the incident happened in the early morning hours.
However, the fire and rescue personnel who rushed to the scene were cautious in the operations following unconfirmed reports that a mentally unstable woman and her child were suspected to be inside the building.
The building collapsed over electric cables snapping double feeder 11kV lines, ABC cables and low tension line. Power supply to the entire town and portions of Prayipra panchayat remained disrupted till around 8 p.m. on Saturday. Traffic through the busy MC Road was affected throughout the day, brining cops from around 13 police stations in Muvattupuzha division to regulate traffic. “A building housing a water tanker remains in a precarious condition and could collapse anytime, in which case supply to several places will be disrupted,” said Jomon a trader in the town.
Meanwhile, a giant tree fell right across the Kochi-Madurai national highway at Thonnakkal near Kolancherry around 3 p.m. It brought traffic through the busy stretch to a complete halt as long queues of vehicles could be seen on either side.
