Mangaluru: Three people, including two children, were killed after a compound wall collapsed onto houses following heavy rain in the Garodi area of Mangaluru during the early hours of Wednesday.
The victims were from two of the four rented houses located below the compound wall.
Police said the incident occurred between 4:45 a.m. and 5 a.m. within the jurisdiction of the Kankanady Police Station.
“There were four families residing in rented houses just below the compound wall. The rear walls of all four houses collapsed, while two families were directly affected,” Mangaluru City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy said.
One of the affected families was that of Lalbabu (37), a native of Bihar, who had been living in the house with his wife, Indu (34), and their four daughters for the past eight years. Lalbabu, Indu, and two of their daughters were rescued safely. However, their daughters, Anamika (7) and Tanu (3), were pulled out unconscious and were later declared dead.
In the adjoining house, Balakrishna (40), a native of Udupi, was rescued safely. His wife, Shanta (35), was found unconscious and was declared dead at the hospital.
The injured and the victims were shifted to a private hospital.
The Police Commissioner said that, prima facie, the compound wall collapsed onto the residential structures, causing the rear walls of the houses to give way.
“It is important to note that when a retaining wall is constructed after cutting into laterite or similar hilly terrain, its foundation must be anchored into stable rock strata or extend to a depth sufficient to ensure structural integrity. Provisions for proper drainage must also be incorporated to prevent water ingress. Constructing a retaining wall without a stable foundation or adequate drainage can lead to structural failure, often triggered by the buildup of hydrostatic pressure during the monsoon,” the Commissioner said.
He added that the structural integrity of the wall is being investigated to determine the exact cause of the collapse. Directions have been issued to register a case against those responsible for any substandard construction and unauthorized excavation that may have increased the risk of a landslide.
“We will seek expert opinions as part of the investigation, and further legal action will be taken based on those technical findings,” he added.
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