Kamal Ghorui
Seven people, including a girl who had gone shopping for her seventh birthday on May 3, were killed and nine injured after a wall of Bowring Hospital in Shivajinagar collapsed on them during thunderstorms here on Wednesday evening. This is the first major rain-related tragedy in the tech capital in the past two decades. The victims included two women from Kerala who were visiting Bengaluru. They had taken shelter along the compound wall to escape the sudden downpour when the structure gave way. According to cops, many of the deceased and injured were street vendors who sold wares along the wall.Siddaramiah promises probe, action against officialsThe deceased have been identified as Fayaz Ahmed, 39, footwear vendor; Mohammed Abdul Haq, 52, cloth seller; Musfira, 6; KK Latha, 57, and Smita, 47, from Kerala; Mohammed Salauddin, 36, vendor from UP; and Naseemullah, 19, from Assam, who was making car stickers.CM Siddaramaiah, who visited the site of the incident, promised thorough investigations and action against officials if negligence is established. He announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of the victims. “The injured are out of danger. I have instructed doctors to provide medical treatment free of cost,” he said.“If the wall was in a dilapidated condition, why did the engineers ignore its state? Construction is going on inside the hospital campus. Sand was dumped near the wall. Prima facie, the wall might have collapsed because of the pressure.”Deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar attributed the incident to nature’s fury and ruled out lapses by the officials of GBA.
