Jodhpur: Drain Suddenly Caves In Near Ratanada, Toilet and Rooms Collapse; SUV and Bike Buried Under Debris

Jodhpur: A drain located between the Ayyappa temple and a petrol pump in Jodhpur's Ratanada area suddenly caved in on Monday, causing two rooms and a toilet built above it to collapse. An SUV and a motorcycle parked nearby were buried under the debris in the incident.

In a stroke of luck, five to six people had stepped out of the rooms and toilet just moments before the collapse, meaning no one was injured or killed. It has not yet been established who was responsible for constructing the structures over the drain. A crowd of local residents gathered at the scene soon after the incident, and relief work began immediately.

What happened

According to reports, a wastewater drain runs between the temple and the petrol pump. It had been covered over, with one or two rooms, a toilet and a water tank built on top of it. At around 12:30pm, an SUV was parked on the drain next to the pump when it suddenly gave way. The front portion of the SUV sank into the drain, causing panic among people in the vicinity.

The weight caused a further section of the drain nearby to also become damaged and cave in. The rooms and toilet built there collapsed into the drain as a result. Only the wall and a small portion of the rearmost room remained standing. A motorcycle parked there was also buried under the debris. A JCB machine was called in to pull the SUV out.

Structure on drain suspected to be illegal

Locals said that people visiting the petrol pump, along with residents of the area, used the toilet, while the rooms nearby were used to store goods. The construction on the drain is suspected to have been illegal. Four to five people were in the rooms and toilet just moments before the collapse; the drain caved in shortly after they stepped out, meaning there was no loss of life. However, both the petrol pump operator and those associated with the temple have denied knowledge of the construction. The matter will only become clear once the relevant department investigates the permissions for the construction and the condition of the drain.

Temple wall damaged

The Ayyappa temple stands right next to the drain, and the temple premises also suffered damage in the incident. The wall of the temple and the staircase leading to the first floor collapsed as the drain and the structure above it caved in.