A 60-year-old unoccupied building collapsed in Erode’s Karungalpalayam on Saturday after recent heavy rain weakened the structure, damaging an adjacent eatery and an electricity pole. No casualties or injuries were reported in the incident.
The ground-plus-two-storey residential building stood on Subramaniyar Koil Street, off Cauvery Road, in Rajagopal Thottam. It belonged to Suguna, 55, and Arumugam, 60, and had remained unused for the past two years, according to the report.
Karungalpalayam police said the structure had sustained damage during heavy rain over the last few days and was in a precarious condition before it collapsed. The building reportedly came down suddenly, sending debris onto the neighbouring eatery and reducing the establishment to rubble.
A police officer said nobody was inside the eatery when the collapse occurred, preventing what could have been a major tragedy. The report did not state whether any nearby residents or passers-by were present when the structure fell.
The collapse also damaged an electricity pole in the area, disrupting power supply to nearby localities. Personnel from the electricity board began restoration work after the incident.
Karungalpalayam police and fire and rescue services personnel visited the site and started an investigation. The report did not provide details of the investigation’s findings, the extent of damage to the eatery, or whether authorities had issued any prior notice concerning the building’s condition.
The incident involved a building that had been unused for two years and was approximately six decades old. Its collapse following heavy rain has brought immediate attention to the condition of ageing and vacant structures in a built-up neighbourhood, although authorities have not yet stated whether structural deterioration, rainwater damage or any other factor contributed to the failure.
Power restoration work was continuing in the affected area, while police and fire and rescue personnel were examining the site. Further details are expected from the ongoing investigation.
