Three die in Tiruvannamalai wall collapse of Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: Three persons, including a woman, were killed and two others were injured after the wall of a century-old math collapsed during the demolition of an adjacent building on Thiruvoodal Street in Tiruvannamalai on Friday.

The incident happened at 12.45 pm when construction workers were engaged in demolishing a 50-year-old building, located in a thickly populated area of Tiruva­n­n­amalai town. The house was ow­­ned by D Sreenivasan (45), a ENT doctor of Vadithottam Str­e­e­t of the town.

Nearly eight workers were demolishing the house with the he­lp of earth movers. When the machines brought down the roof of the house, a 30-feet wall of the adjacent Pillulur math building fell on the five workers, burying them in the rubble. The victims are K Ra­mesh (22), M Laxma­n­a­n (38), Alamelu (55), Abid Hussain (22) and Poongavanam (57) — all from neighbouring vill­ages.

The onlookers and neighbo­u­rs rushed to the spot and pulled Ra­mesh, Alamelu, Abid Hussain and Poongavanam from the deb­ris. They were sent to the Government Tiruvannamalai Medical College and Hospital (GTMCH) where Ramesh and Alamelu were declared brought dead. However, Laxmanan could not be traced by the locals and his body was rescued by Fire and Rescue Services personnel after nearly an hour.

Hussain and Poongavanam are undergoing treatment at the GTMCH. Tiruvannamalai SP R Ponni and other officials inspected the spot and conducted probe.

Tiruvannamalai Town police have registered a case against la­nd owner Sreenivasan, building en­gineer V Manikandan, supervisors Hussain and S Prakash (27). They were charged under the provisions of IPC 304 A (causing death by negligence) and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others). Sreenivasan and Manikandan went absconding.