Gonikoppa: An 80-year-old building housing a hotel and a meat shop collapsed in Gonikoppa town, Kodagu, yesterday around 2 pm. Some of the people trapped inside were having food at the hotel.

Six individuals were successfully rescued from under the debris, in a joint operation by Fire and Emergency Services personnel, Police and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team.

Eyewitnesses and the Police reported that, the two-storeyed building suddenly collapsed with a loud noise. Due to the impact, the Ambur Biriyani Hotel and a meat shop housed in the ground floor were buried under the debris.

No one resided on the first floor. The building was constructed in 1950s and the hotel has been operating for three years. The building is owned by Sannuvanda Uthaiah.

The injured include hotel owner N. Tirumurugan (60) from Andhra Pradesh, his wife Alamelamma (46), their son Narayana (24), worker Mahalinga (25) and customer Madhu (35) from Thithimathi village. Another customer, Thimma (45) from Nagarahole, was also rescued. Two two-wheelers parked outside the hotel were crushed by the falling structure.

The meat shop owner, Samir, managed to escape as the building started collapsing. However, six people were trapped under the debris.

Fire and Emergency Services personnel from Mysuru, Periyapatna, Madikeri and Gonikoppa quickly arrived at the scene, and the rescue operation commenced with an earthmover. Tirumurugan and Alamelamma, who were standing in the outer portion of the hotel, were the first to be rescued.

The three-hour rescue operation began immediately after the collapse, with no delay. Due to a lack of precise information on the number of people trapped, an extensive search operation was conducted using a special vehicle equipped with modern tools, sourced from Mysuru.

The NDRF team, stationed in Madikeri for flood rescue operations during the rainy season, also rushed to the site with equipment including concrete cutters. All six individuals were rescued by the evening.

The injured were shifted to hospitals in Mysuru, where their condition is reported to be stable. Madhu, who suffered a leg fracture, was admitted to a hospital in Gonikoppa.

Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Venkat Raja, Superintendent of Police K. Ramarajan and others visited the site and monitored the rescue operations.