Kozhikode, Feb 23 : Three loading workers were killed and five others injured on Monday after the concrete slab of an ageing building collapsed in Valiyangadi, one of Kozhikodeâ??s busiest commercial hubs in Kerala.

The deceased have been identified as Jabbar, a native of Kinasheri, Ashraf and Basheer.

The accident occurred at a decades-old structure near the beach that had earlier functioned as the Passport Office.

The building, which belongs to the Kozhikode Corporation and is estimated to be around 60 years old, is currently being used as a warehouse by a nearby establishment.

According to eyewitnesses, seven workers were present at the spot after unloading goods into the godown.

They were resting on the floor near the shutter when a massive concrete slab and a sunshade portion of the building gave way and crashed down.

Two workers managed to run to safety after noticing the slab collapse, while the remaining five were trapped.

Local residents and fellow workers rushed to the scene and began rescue operations even before Fire Force personnel arrived.

The slab had to be cut open to extricate those trapped beneath.

Three workers were pulled out in the initial phase and shifted to the hospital, but their lives could not be saved.

One of the injured was rescued only after fire personnel cut through the concrete.

Another injured worker is reported to be in critical condition.

The collapse also caused significant property damage, with several two-wheelers parked beneath the slab crushed under the debris.

The fact that the location is a regular resting place for loading workers in Valiyangadi added to the scale of the tragedy.

Preliminary assessments point to the dilapidated condition as the likely cause of the collapse.

Local residents said the building had long been in a precarious state, raising serious concerns about safety oversight.

Despite its age, several commercial establishments continue to function in the premises.

The Mayor, who visited the site, said the building would be sealed and no one would be allowed to enter it henceforth.

The incident has renewed scrutiny over the use of ageing structures as warehouses without proper safety inspections.

Angry Congress and BJP workers protested the callous manner in which the CPI(M) ruled Corporation has done nothing despite the building condition being pointed out.

/IANS