Old building collapses in Kerala's Thrissur after heavy rain, 2 dead, 1 missing

A two-storey building housing migrant workers collapsed early this morning in Kodakara, Thrissur, leaving two people dead and one missing. The incident occurred around 6 am, when most workers were preparing to leave for work.

According to police, three workers were trapped under the debris. Rescue teams managed to pull out two of them, Rahul (19) and Rupel (21), both from West Bengal. While Rupel was found dead, Rahul was rushed to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Search operations are still on to locate Aleem (30), also a native of West Bengal, who remains missing.

The old building, situated near the Kodakara Panchayat office, was reportedly made of laterite bricks and housed 17 migrant workers at the time of the collapse. Fourteen of them managed to escape unhurt.

Officials suspect that heavy rain in the area the previous night may have weakened the structure, leading to the collapse. Police, fire and rescue personnel, along with local residents, have been engaged in an intense search operation since the morning.

This comes even as incessant rains lash northern and central Kerala. On June 25, heavy rain triggered flash floods in the Chooralmala area of Wayanad, the same region where back-to-back landslides in July 2024 wiped out two villages and claimed over 400 lives.

The Chooralmala river was in spate, with muddy water breaching its banks near the Bailey bridge that was built after the July disaster.

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