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Seven people, including two children, were killed after a portion of a compound wall collapsed during heavy rain near Bowring Hospital in Bengaluru on Wednesday, officials said.
The deceased are said to include street vendors operating near the hospital, though their identities are yet to be ascertained. Seven others were also injured when the compound wall collapsed. Officials said the injured are stable and will receive free treatment. Their details are awaited.
The deceased were identified as Mohammed Abdul Haq, 52, a cloth trader from JC Nagar, Bengaluru; Fayaz Ahmed, 39, a footwear businessman from DJ Halli; Musaveer Begum, 6, a student from KG Halli; Latha K K, 57, and Smitha, 47, both visitors from Ernakulam, Kerala; M D Salauddin Ansari, 36, a vendor from Uttar Pradesh; and Nasimulla, 19, who was engaged in car stickering work and hailed from Assam. Latha and Smitha were part of an NGO group visiting the city.
According to the police, most of the victims were roadside vendors and passersby who had taken shelter along the wall, which collapsed following intense rainfall.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced an investigation into the incident and Rs 5 lakh compensation for next of the kin of the deceased. Siddaramaiah, who visited the spot, said, “Two of them are children.”
After a prolonged dry spell, Bengaluru city received heavy rain around 5 pm. The spell of thundershowers, which lasted for about an hour in many parts of the city, was coupled with an intense hailstorm. The incident occurred during this period of intense rain and hail.
Several low-lying areas were reportedly inundated. Gusty winds accompanied the rain, leading to several trees and branches falling on the road and traffic disruptions. Tree falls was reported at BVK Iyengar Road and Sheshadripuram, as per initial reports. Officials said wind gusts ranging between 40 kmph and 50 kmph battered the city.
Vehicles were also damaged in parts of the city after tree branches fell on them. Inundation also resulted in traffic disruption in many parts of the city. Officials said tree and branch falls were reported in around 50 locations across the city, contributing to congestion.
According to the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre data, Binnypet, Cottonpet, and Subhashnagar received around 60 mm of rainfall. While many parts of the Bengaluru North region received trace rainfall, showers were intense in Bengaluru’s south, west, and east regions.
Data shows that localities such as HSR Layout received 59 mm of rainfall, Jayanagar around 35 mm of rainfall, HAL Airport 28 mm of rainfall, and Chamarajpet 58 mm of rainfall, among others.
According to officials of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and the Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company Limited (Bescom), reports of damage in various parts of the city were being compiled.
An official said that gusts of wind of around 50 kmph had hit the city during the rain, leading to widespread damage.
“In many parts, trees have fallen on the road. GBA staff and officials are on the ground removing trees and clearing branches that have fallen on the road. The extent of damage will be known only by Thursday morning,” an official said.
During inspection, officials informed Siddaramaiah that works were being carried out at Bowring Hospital and mud extracted for construction was dumped near the compound wall. “We think the wall collapsed due to the pressure,” he said.
“The probe will assess whether the compound wall was dilapidated and if so whether engineers are responsible,” Siddaramaiah said, adding that action would be initiated against officials in case of negligence.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert for widespread rain in Bengaluru and the south interior Karnataka region for the next two days.
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