KOCHI: A migrant youth died after falling into a furnace filled with burning rice husk, in Odakkali, Perumbavoor, on Wednesday. The deceased has been identified as Ravikishan Kumar, 20, a native of Motihari in Bihar, who was employed at a rice company located in Thalapuncha, Odakkali.
The accident occurred around 12.30pm, when Ravikishan was cleaning a funnel-shaped tank about 50-ft high as part of maintenance work at the mill, said an officer with Kuruppumpadi police station.
While he was attempting to clean the funnel-shaped tank, a metal sheet on which he was standing gave way, causing him to fall about 15ft into the furnace below, said the officer.
The Fire and Rescue Services team arrived promptly and, after a high-risk operation using ropes, managed to retrieve the victim’s body. However, he had already succumbed to the burns, said the official.
The body was later shifted to the Perumbavoor Taluk Hospital mortuary following an inquest.