CHENNAI:An employee of a textile retail unit died in an elevator accident in Kancheepuram on Tuesday.
The deceased was identified as Mohammad Shahir, 20, who was working as a salesperson for the last five years. It is said the tragedy occurred when he volunteered to clean the elevator after a foul odour emanated from the shaft.
Shahir collected the keys and reportedly climbed on top of the elevator, which was in the ground floor in the three-storied building to check the source of the odour. The elevator suddenly started moving and before he realised the danger, his head smashed against the building roof killing him on the spot.
The textile showroom manager said Shahir volunteered for the work. “It was a new elevator installed about two years back. Only on February 17, the lift company did the regular servicing. Shahir must have switched on the elevator and climbed the roof which led to the accident,” he said.
Shahir, a native of Mettu Street in Kanchipuram, was earning `7,000 as monthly salary.
Vishnukanchi police, who registered a case, said the accident occurred at around 10 am.
“Although he is not a lift maintenance worker, he took upon himself to clean it. First, he had opened the lift and climbed on to the shaft. When the elevator started moving up, he did not have any chance to escape,” the police said.
His head rammed against the building roof and got disfigured. The police sent the body to government hospital for post-mortem. Investigation is on.