At least five persons were injured when a four-storeyed building situated near the Nathervali Dargah on the Madurai road here collapsed on Thursday night.
Renovation works were under way on the ground floor of the building situated in a congested and narrow by-lane when the building collapsed. A borewell was also being reportedly sunk in the building.
Eye witness accounts said the building came down with a huge sound at around 8 p.m. Tenants in the houses had been asked to temporarily move out of the building in view of the works, which fortunately averted loss of lives.
The huge sound coupled with smoke shocked residents in the locality. Residents in the neighbourhood said the building was over 40 years old, atop which three floors were constructed a couple of years ago and rented out.
A portion of the debris fell over the opposite house where a woman and 12-year-old girl were injured. An old man who was trapped inside the building that had caved in was rescued.
Collector K.S. Palanisamy who inspected the spot accompanied by Corporation Commissioner M. Vijayalakshmi and Commissioner of Police Sanjay Mathur, told reporters that five persons had sustained injuries in the collapse. R.Manoharan, Government Chief Whip, also inspected the accident site.
Police sources said three of the injured were rushed to a private hospital and two others to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital. Rafiya (18), Hasina (29), Mohideen and Anwar Sharif (67) were among the injured. The identity of another injured person was not known immediately.
Mr. Palanisamy said the cause of the collapse and whether permission had been obtained for the construction of multiple floors over the old building were being investigated by the police and the Corporation authorities.
Fire fighters continued their search operation till late in the night to ascertain if any one had been trapped inside.
