Wall collapse kills 2 kids in Mehta Nagar

CHENNAI: Two children cycling outside their house at Mehta Nagar in Choolaimedu died after a portion of the compound wall collapsed and fell on them on Thursday evening. The wall had developed a few cracks and may have weakened further after Wednesday’s spell of rain, said a police officer.

The deceased were identified as A Dhayan, 7, and his cousin Mushkan. While Dhayan’s body was sent to the Government Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital for postmortem, the family members of Mushkan, who was to celebrate her fourth birthday on Sunday, refused to had over her body to the police, saying they didn’t want an autopsy done.

All buildings in locality old, says neighbour

Around 6pm, Mushkan, daughter of Feroz and Dahera, and Dhayan, son of Ansar and Haseena, were playing when there was a loud noise, said the officer.

Several members of the joint family, which runs a mutton stall in the neighbourhood, came rushing out and found that a large portion of the wall had fallen and the children were partly seen under the debris. As they struggled to clear the bricks and pull the children out, a few other residents of the area and some passersby came to help. “I was going to meet a friend. I had just crossed the place, when I heard a loud noise. I stopped my bike and ran to the spot and and helped remove the debris,” said Vishal, 23, of Kakkan Nagar.

By the time a team of the Aminjikarai police and the fire and rescue services arrived, the family members had taken the children in an ambulance to a private hospital where doctors declared them brought dead.

They had sustained severe head injuries, said an officer of the Aminjikarai police which registered a case.

As the news spread, gloom enveloped the locality. “Mushkan had been excited about celebrating her birthday with her twin sister. All her dreams were shattered. We are not able to come to terms that she is no more,” said a relative, fighting back tears.

Another relative, who didn’t want to be named, said a few members of the family had gone shopping ahead of Ramzan when the incident happened. “We were shocked when we got back home and came to know that the children were dead.”

Others in the area said the wall collapse could have happened anywhere. “Almost all buildings in the area are old and require immediate repairs,” said Fathima, a neighbour of the family.