Woman killed in medical college building collapse in Kerala’s Kottayam, ministers face wrath over ‘delaying’ her rescue

The accident happened at around 11 am when the washroom area of the 14th ward of the hospital collapsed. Fire and rescue services rushed to the spot and rescued two people with minor injuries.

The ministers were in Kottayam to attend a regional review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. After the building collapse, the ministers reached the spot and told the media that the collapsed area was closed and not in use. Both George and Vasavan ruled out the possibility of more people being trapped under the debris and repeatedly stated that it was a closed portion used for waste disposal.

Around 1 pm, rescue teams resumed search operations when Bindu’s daughter Navami repeatedly raised the alarm over her missing mother.  Navami, who was under treatment, said her mother had gone to the washroom but was not attending calls. Though the rescue teams found Bindu trapped in the rubble and pulled her out, more than two hours after the building collapsed, she later died at the same hospital.

The approach of the ministers has led to widespread protests from the Opposition Congress and the BJP.

Chandy Oommen, Congress MLA from the Puthuppally constituency in Kottayam, who reached the spot after the incident, stated that the rescue was delayed due to the irresponsible statements made by the ministers. “They tried to play down the issue, saying the collapsed portion was a closed area,’’ he said.

Later, George said the district collector was asked to investigate any possible lapses, noting that the collapsed building was 68 years old.

“There was no delay in the rescue efforts. The death of the bystander is unfortunate, and we did everything possible. I reacted based on the information I received. There were difficulties in getting the earth mover to the location,” she told the media.