KOCHI: A 58-year-old man died after falling off a tree at Pathalam in Eloor on Monday. The deceased is Unnikrishnan, a resident of Muppathadam.
The incident occurred around 10 am while Unnikrishnan was cutting a tree branch on the premises of a private residence. Tharanath, a local resident said Unnikrishnan was on the tree while two assistants were supporting him from the ground.
After cutting the branch, he instructed the assistants to pull it down. However, the falling branch struck the branch he was sitting on, causing him to lose balance and fall.
He hit his head on a wooden log lying on the ground, said Tharanath. He was immediately rushed to the nearby ESI hospital in Pathalam, but his life couldn’t be saved.
“The fatal injury is believed to have been caused by the direct impact to his head from the fall,” said Rajeev, another resident of Pathalam.
Unnikrishnan had previously worked as a mahout before turning to tree-cutting for a livelihood. He had served for many years as the mahout of the elephant named Pallathankulangara Gireeshan, Rajeev added. Unnikrishnan is survived by wife Jayasree, and children Abhiram and Anaswara.