Kottayam: Panic broke out at Kottayam Medical College on Thursday after a portion of the 14th ward, which earlier housed the orthopaedics ward, collapsed. The structure was a three-storey building and is currently not in use, according to authorities.

Initial reports said that three people, including two women and a baby, were inside the building at the time but were rescued safely with minor injuries.

Police and fire force teams were quickly deployed to the site. Rescue and safety operations are still ongoing.

The incident happened while a government project review meeting was being held in Kottayam, led by the Chief Minister.

Minister VN Vasavan, who was present at the meeting, said the collapsed section had already been marked for decommissioning. “This part of the building was closed, and we had planned to avoid using it,” he said.

Health Minister Veena George, who visited the site, confirmed that the orthopaedics ward had been moved to a new building nearby, and the collapsed section had been abandoned.

Witnesses recall panic

Eyewitnesses were left shocked after a portion of the building collapsed around 11 am. According to witnesses, the rear section of the building, specifically the toilet area, was the part that gave way. At the time of the collapse, three people, including a child, were present but were rescued immediately.

"There was a loud noise. A young man bravely rescued a child trapped in the rubble. The building’s toilet area, which was still in use, was the part that collapsed," said a nearby tea shop owner who heard the crash.

The man who rescued the child also shared his account of the incident. “I rushed to the spot after hearing the loud noise. I saw a small child crying, stuck under the debris. Thankfully, the child was able to stand up, and I pulled the baby to safety. Only the toilet section was in use, and I don’t think there were others inside. This is an old building. The child has minor injuries and was taken to the emergency department,” he said.

The young man, who had come to the hospital to attend to a relative, became an accidental hero and a key eyewitness to the shocking incident.