Hotel building collapses in Gonikoppa in Kodagu; six people rescued

Two of them have been hospitalised while the search for two more people is on. A team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is involved in the rescue operation.

Madikeri: A 72-year old building housing 'Ambur Dum Biriyani hotel' in Gonikoppa in Ponnampet taluk of Kodagu, collapsed on Thursday.

Six people trapped under the debris were rescued successfully during a joint operation by fire and emergency services personnel, police and NDRF team.

Five of them have suffered injuries.

Hotel owner N Tirumurugan (60), his wife Alamelamma(46), their son Narayana (24) and worker Mahalinga (25) and customer Madhu (35), are the injured.

Another customer, Thimma (45), was also rescued, the police said.

The building, which was in a dilapidated condition, collapsed all of a sudden on Thursday afternoon at 2 pm. The building also housed a meat shop owned by a person called Samir.

As soon as the building started collapsing the people rushed out to save themselves. However, six persons were trapped under the debris.

The fire and emergency services personnel arrived at the spot in three minutes.

As there was no accurate information on the exact number of people trapped inside, an extensive search operation was performed with a special vehicle with modern equipment, The vehicle capable of cutting through the debris, was sourced from Mysuru.

Fire and emergency services personnel from Mysuru, Piriyapattana, Madikeri and Gonikoppa conducted a joint operation, as the NDRF team too joined hands.

All six were rescued by the evening. The five injured were treated at the hospital.

Deputy Commissioner Venkat Raja, Superintendent of Police K Ramarajan and others visited the spot and monitored the rescue operations.

The building was constructed in 1952 and the hotel has been operating for the past three years. The incident has sent a warning signal to the people to be cautious of old and dilapidated buildings.