Two die as wall collapses in city

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Two construction labourers were killed when a portion of a wall of a 10-year-old building in R.K. Nagar collapsed on Saturday.

According to the police, one Jamal Mohammed, 56, a resident of Netaji Nagar 3rd street, had employed four workers to renovate his house.

Two persons were dismantling the asbe­stos sheets one after the other and were handing them down to Panneer Selvam, 49, and Ezhumalai, 40, waiting below.

When they were pulling the sixth sheet down, the wall, which was holding up the roof, caved in on the duo standing below.

The incident took place at 9 am. Neighbours said they heard a loud noise and rushed to the spot and tried to rescue the two in vain.

The police reached the spot soon and retrieved Panner Selvam’s body. Ezhumalai, who had sustained injuries in the lower abdomen, was rushed to the Stanley Government Hospital, where the doctors dec­la­red him brought dead.

The other two workers, Pandiyarajan and Rajendran suffered only minor injuries.

The R.K. Nagar Police registered a case and arrested Mr Mohammed for undertaking demolition of the house without taking any precautions. He was later remanded to judicial custody.