CHENNAI: A 45-year-old woman was killed and seven other construction workers sustained minor injuries when hollow bricks and mud at the site collapsed on them in T Nagar on Wednesday morning.
Police said P Alagammal (45), a relative of the mason, joined work only on Wednesday. “An apartment complex is being constructed at Gopalakrishnan Street in T Nagar and the work started 20 days ago.
On Wednesday morning, all workers reached the site at 7.30 am and began work. Two hours later, as the labourers were working near a 10-ft-high and 40-foot-wide compound wall, the hollow bricks and sand near the wall collapsed and fell on them. Seven of them tried to escape from the debris and sustained minor injures, while Alagammal was trapped,” said a senior police officer.
Other workers immediately rushed her to a private hospital nearby where they declared her brought dead and the body was shifted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital for postmortem.
The injured - Uma, Rani, Rani, Valli, Mala, Senthil and Kasi - were treated at the Royapettah government hospital and discharged in the evening.
Investigation revealed that the mason had hired 10 workers including seven women from MGR Nagar and it was the first day at work for Alagammal. “The entire site was covered with blue metal sheets and the basement of the building was completed a few days ago,” the officer added.
A case was registered by the Pondy Bazaar police and the supervisor Prabhu was arrested under section 304 A of the IPC (causing death due to negligence). Alagammal is survived by a daughter and lost her husband 10 years ago.
The fateful first day at work for Alagammal
Subsequent investigation at the site revealed that the mason had hired 10 workers including seven women from MGR Nagar and it was the first day at work for Alagammal. “The entire site was covered with blue metal sheets and the basement of the building was completed a few days ago,” a senior police officer added.