Kochi: The site where the St. Augustine’s Church collapsed at Aroor on,April 8, Monday could not have been more chaotic, a testimony to how ill-equipped Ernakulam and Alappuzha districts were in dealing with such a disaster.
According to standard disaster management protocol, an accident of this magnitude warranted a specialised Collapsed Structure Search and Rescue (CSSR) team, comprising personnel proficient in entering disaster sites and carrying out rescue operations. But no such team was part of the rescue operations on April 8, Monday.
A building collapse called for the same disaster management measures followed in the case of an earthquake. |
