MADURAI: An excavator operator died and another was injured during the demolition process of a decorative arch near the Mattuthavani MGR bus stand collapsed in the vehicle in the midnight hours.
Police sources said the court had ordered the demolition due to the increasing traffic in the city.
The Nakkeeran decorative arch in Mattuthavani was constructed back in 1981. As the road struggled to handle the current traffic, measures were taken to demolish the decorative arch on Wednesday late night hours.
During the demolition, as the excavator operator began removing the arch from one side, the structure accidentally collapsed onto the excavator, crushing the vehicle. The excavator operator who was identified as Nagalingam (21) of Ulakkani village in Madurai got stuck under the debris.
Nagalingam, who suffered serious injuries, died on the spot. After several hours of rescue efforts, the debris was cleared, and his body was recovered by the rescue team.
In the incident, the contractor of the work Nallathambi of Sambakulam in Madurai who was standing near the excavator during the arch collapses suffered injuries. He was rushed to GRH for treatment.
It is to be noted that as the traffic in the area was diverted no other injuries were reported in the incident. City corporation commissioner Chithra Vijayan inspected the incident venue. Cops have filed a case and further investigation is underway.