Chimney of defunct brick kiln chamber collapses onto road near Coimbatore

Collapsed chimney of defunct brick kiln in Coimbatore narrowly avoids tragedy; road blocked briefly, no injuries reported.

The chimney of a defunct brick kiln chamber at Thadagam in Coimbatore district collapsed onto the busy Coimbatore – Mannarkkad Road on Monday. A major tragedy was averted as there was no vehicle movement along the road at the spot when the chimney made of bricks collapsed.

The police said the chimney of a brick kiln unit, namely RSK Chamber Bricks, collapsed onto the road around 2 p.m. The unit situated on Coimbatore – Mannarkkad Road had not been functioning, as all the brick kilns in Thadagam valley were closed based on a direction from the Madras High Court in 2021.

According to the police, the chimney was not being maintained as the chamber had been shut. Its condition deteriorated, especially after the heavy rain received in the area on Sunday. A transformer that had been used for the chamber and powerlines were also damaged in the incident.

The police said traffic along the main road was disturbed for around 30 minutes. The scattered bricks of the fallen chimney were removed using an earthmover belonging to the chamber, following which traffic flow was resumed, the police said.