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More than 100 people are said to have sustained injuries at a football tournament in Bekal ( Kerala ) on Sunday night as a gallery collapsed just before the opening match between Saban Kottakkal and Mohammadans Mouval. Six of those injured are critically injured. All the injured persons have been admitted to hospitals in Mangalore and surrounding areas.
The football tournament was to be organised by Bekal Brothers Sports Club. The chief guests K Kunhiraman and NA Nellikunnu, MLAs of Uduma and Kasargod respectively had already arrived at the ground and saw the stand collapse right in front of their eyes.
The gallery was made up of wooden planks and iron rods, which do not meet the safety requirements for sporting grounds. A crowd of around 1500 were present at the venue when the event occurred.
Luckily, there were fire service personnel and policemen who could act quickly. The reason given for the incident is the heavy rain that hit the area on Saturday, which according to officials had made the wood moist.
The Bekal police have registered a case against Bekal Brothers Club and those involved in constructing the gallery. The football tournament has been postponed indefinitely following the incident.
Infrastructure has been a major problem for Indian football in the past and incidents like this surely don’t help. With the 2017 FIFA U17 World Cup to be held in India, it’s high time such basic facilities are improved in the country.
Pictures of the event can be found here.
