Two killed in rain-triggered roof collapse in Anaimalai

Coimbatore/Krishnagiri: Two people including a minor boy who took shelter from the rain under a shed in front of a temple on Wednesday evening at Kaliyapuram near Anaimalai died after the roof collapsed. Three more people including two minor boys suffered minor injuries.
The deceased were identified as M Harikrishnan, 14, and S Nataraj, 57, both natives of Somanathapuram near Kaliyapuram. Police said Nataraj was a daily wage labourer. Three more people – M Nirmal, 15, M Nithish, 11 and T Gopal alias Prabhu, 31, all hailing from Somanathapuram near Kaliyapuram village in Anaimalai suffered minor injuries.
The Anaimalai police said Nataraj, Gopal and the three boys were taking bath in a river near Puthumariamman temple at Ettidurai village near Kaliyapuram around 4.30 pm. Due to heavy rain, the five people came out of the river and took shelter in the shed in front of the temple.
Due to the heavy rain, the old structure made of asbestos sheets collapsed on the five people, trapping them under debris. The public in the vicinity rescued Nirmal, Nithish and Gopal who suffered minor injuries and sent them to the Vettaikaranpudur government hospital for treatment. Later, they were referred to the Pollachi government hospital where they were treated as outpatients and discharged from the hospital. But Harikrishnan and Nataraj who suffered severe injuries on their heads died on the spot.
Meanwhile, a 35-year-old woman from Assam and a 12-year-old girl from Dhenkanikottai died in a wall collapse in Krishnagiri on Wednesday. The Assamese woman identified as Hamida Begum had come to Dhenkanikottai a few days back with her family. She had erected a makeshift tent near the compound wall erected around a private land and was selling toys.
The girl, Sahana, 12, daughter of Venkatachalapathy from the same locality was playing close to the wall. The wall collapsed trapping five people including two children. The public rushed to the rescue, removed the debris and sent them to the government hospital. Police said Hamida Begum and Sahana who suffered severe injuries on their head died on the way.