Three persons were killed and three injured when a shop at Car Street in Anthiyur in the district collapsed in the early hours of Monday.
The victims and the injured, all from Bargur Hills, had come to sell their millets and other produce at the weekly shandy that was closed for two months and was set to open at 6 a.m. on Monday. All the six persons reached Anthiyur on Sunday evening and were sleeping outside an electrical shop when the building collapsed at 12.50 a.m.
In the impact, M. Sithan, 55, of Thattakarai, S. Mahadevan, 55, and T. Chinnapaiyan, 35, both from Sengulam, died on the spot. K. Rajesh, 30, and K. Mahendran, 17, both from Chinna Sengulam and S. Sivamoorthy, 45, from Kongadai, suffered minor injuries and were admitted to the Government Hospital at Anthiyur. The bodies were shifted to the hospital. Building owner R. Rajasekar, 62, is being questioned.
Police said that the weekly market that functions from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays was closed for two months due to lockdown and was to re-open on Monday. Farmers in the region, including small farmers from various hamlets in Bargur hills, used to arrive on Sunday night and sleep where ever they find space and sell their produce in the market on Monday and return to their native places.
