Kozhikode Railway station clock tower collapses

Kozhikode: Part of the Kozhikode railway station building, mainly a near iconic clock tower, collapsed on Thursday morning. The collapse happened onto Platform 2, but since there was no train in service on the platform, a major disaster was averted. There have been no reports of injuries either.

The collapse occurred around 11 am, while the Kozhikode-Kannur passenger train was at the platform. However since the train would only leave at 2.05 pm, no passenger was close to the spot where the tall tower and adjacent portions fell. And the limited number of railway staff who were around the site of the incident, were able to move to safety before the structure crashed down.

The railway station, one among the many listed for extensive renovation by the central government under the Amrit Bharat scheme, has been under hectic construction; the construction activity has affected most parts of the current building with most of it already demolished and passengers mostly reeling under severe inconvenience.

Some reports say that the local authorities had brought to the attention of higher ups the precarious condition of the tower, especially during the extensive construction activity around the premises.

Kozhikode and surrounding suburbs have been under heavy rainfall over the past few days prompting orange alert by weather department.

Although the collapse happened when safety measures were being undertaken at the construction site as a precaution, the area has been cordoned off to protect lives and other damage. Kozhikode railway station is a crowded area most of the time with thousands of people using it for commuting as well as long-distance journey. People have been asked to stay away from the affected area.