Low-Flying Plane Blows Off School Roof Tiles in Ernakulam

Kochi: Roof tiles of a school were blown off after a plane flew at a low altitude in Ernakulam. The tiles of the Sree Narayana Higher Secondary School in Okal were blown away in the incident, which occurred on Tuesday night. Roof tiles of nearby houses were also reportedly dislodged.

The damage occurred to the old building of Sree Narayana Higher Secondary School. Broken roof tiles fell into the classrooms. The building is reportedly not normally used for regular classes. Local residents said the tiles were dislodged when a flight bound for Cochin International Airport flew at a low altitude at night. As the incident occurred at night, there were no children at the school, averting a major tragedy.

Several similar incidents have been reported in Ernakulam district in recent months. On June 15, roof tiles of the house of Simon Kattupparambil in Shanthinagar near Kerala Pharma in Athani were blown off after a plane flew at a low altitude. The tiles fell both inside and outside the house.

Simon also suffered minor injuries when pieces of the tiles struck him. The incident occurred around 4.5 km from Cochin International Airport. The strong airflow generated by the aircraft, which flew overhead at a low altitude with a loud noise, caused the roof to shake and the tiles to come loose and fall. Simon was injured by a piece of tile while attempting to run outside to safety.

A similar incident occurred in May. Roof tiles of a house in Perumbavoor were dislodged after a flight approaching Cochin International Airport flew unusually low. The house of M V Joy at Nambilly Junction in Okal, Perumbavoor, was damaged in the incident.