Tamil Nadu - Chennai   

Labourer dies in building collapse

P. Oppili

Demolition of old building in Kodambakkam ends in tragedy

Fire and Rescue Service personnel cutting the concrete slab, using an electrical driller to retrieve the body of a construction labourer, who was trapped under it at a building in Kodambakkam on Tuesday. Photo: K. Pichumani

CHENNAI: A 21-year-old construction labourer died, when the roof of a building he was demolishing crashed on him at Kodambakkam on Tuesday. The Fire and Rescue Service personnel retrieved the body after an hour and half rescue operation.

According to Fire and Rescue Services authorities said an old building was being demolished on Puliyur 3rd Cross Street in Trustpuram, Kodambakkam. Around 6.30 p.m. the victim, Venkatesan of Vijayawada, was demolishing a room on the first floor of the building. He was using an electrical driller to demolish the portion. Suddenly, the roof portion collapsed and fell on him.

The youth was trapped under the heavy concrete slab and died on the spot, said the Fire and Rescue Service authorities.

Soon after receiving the information about the building collapse, a team of Fire and Rescue Service personnel reached the spot around 7 p.m. and using an electrical driller, the heavy concrete slab was cut into two pieces. The slabs were tied to a thick nylon rope, using casuarina polls, one of the slabs was lifted and the body retrieved. There were two other persons involved in the demolition work. While one was in the first floor, the other two were in the ground floor, said the Fire and Rescue Service authorities. As the concrete slab, weighing about two tonnes, was very heavy, cutting it into two pieces was delayed, said the Fire and Rescue Service authorities. The Kodambakkam police arrested the supervisor, Silambarasan.

In another incident at around 9.25 p.m. a godown, which is part of a century-old house in 95, Acharappan Street, off Prakasam Salai, crumbled to pieces. Personnel in two vehicles of the Fire and Rescue Services brought out safely 14 people of five families living in the first floor of the house.

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