50 Injured as Gallery of a Football Ground Collapses in Palakkad
The match was organised as a fundraiser to help the family of footballer R Dhanarajan, who passed away in Dec 2019.
Nearly 50 people were injured when a temporary gallery of a football ground in Palakkad, Kerala, collapsed on Sunday, 19 January, just before a match was to start.
The fundraiser match was organised to help the family of footballer R Dhanarajan, who died of cardiac arrest on 29 December 2019 during an all India Sevens tournament match at Perintalmanna in Malappuram district.
"As per our preliminary count, nearly 50 got injured in the accident in a temporary gallery. They have been shifted to various hospitals in the area. None has suffered any serious injury," police said.
Palakkad MP VK Sreekandan said, "This unfortunate incident happened just before the match. As per the preliminary reports, none has suffered any serious injury. The police, fire brigade and the volunteers are coordinating well to help the injured."
Indian football legends – M Vijayan and Bhaichung Bhutia – who were present in the stadium were reported as safe, officials said.
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