Ten people were killed after an intense thunderstorm and heavy rainfall pounded the southern Indian city of Bengaluru.
At least seven people, including a child, died after an 8ft-wall at the Bowring and Lady Curzon hospital complex collapsed on Wednesday night following a hailstorm in the capital of India’s southern Karnataka state.
The wall gave way when around 30 people were present near the building, according to reports. The collapse killed four street vendors as well as two other people from the state of Kerala, according to DK Shivakumar, the deputy chief minister of Karnataka.
Three injured people were receiving treatment in hospital, Mr Shivakumar said. An injured woman was taken for a check-up after receiving first aid at a hospital following the wall collapse.
A man weeps outside an emergency room after compound wall of a hospital collapsed following rains in Bengaluru (Reuters)
Chief minister Siddaramaiah has ordered a preliminary inquiry following a visit to the incident site.
“Mud was being dumped adjacent to the compound wall, which appears to have weakened the structure due to the gush of rainwater. It is also being examined whether the wall was dilapidated,” he claimed.
The state has offered a compensation of Rs500,000 (£3,896) to the family of each of those killed and free treatment to the injured.
An eyewitness said his brother, Fayaz, was among those killed in the collapse. “We have been selling purses and chappals here for the past 20 years. This is the first time such a tragedy has occurred,” Suhail, a roadside vendor, told The Hindu newspaper.
“I was standing a little away when the wall suddenly collapsed,” he said, adding that his brother was the sole breadwinner of his family, and is survived by his wife and two children.
Prime minister Narendra Modi in a post on X called the incident “unfortunate”.
“My thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover at the earliest,” he added.
After weeks of elevated temperatures and uncomfortable humidity, the weather in Bengaluru suddenly shifted on Wednesday, with intense rainfall, gusty winds and hailstorms sweeping parts of the city.
The downpour brought short-term relief from the heat but also led to widespread disruptions, including waterlogging and fallen trees.
In separate incidents, a teenager and a 35-year-old man died of electrocution during the downpour. Syed Sufiyan, 17, died while parking his motorcycle when he stepped into a puddle that was electrified by a leaking pole, the Newsminute news website reported. Another man in his 30s died later in the night after the roof and wall of his house collapsed in the Chamarajpet area.
The heavy rain left a trail of destruction across Bengaluru, uprooting 170 trees across the city. A bookstore on the popular Church Street reportedly suffered heavy losses when rainwater rushed in, damaging 4,000 to 5,000 books worth nearly Rs 1,500,000 (£11,690).
Building collapses are common in India, where high demand for housing and lax regulations have encouraged some builders to cut corners, use substandard materials or add unauthorised extra floors.
