TIRUPPUR: An 87-year-old woman and her 65-year-old daughter drowned after they slipped and fell into a 50-foot-deep well in their farmland in Ponnamara Thottam in Alangiyam on Sunday morning. The daughter had gone near the well to keep her elderly mother from accidentally falling into the well, said the police.
The deceased were identified as S Mayilathal and her daughter M Pushpavalli Nayagi. Police said after the death of Mayilathal’s husband Subbiah six years ago, she had been living with her three daughters.
According to police, Mayilathal had been suffering from mental health issues for the last few months. The elderly woman left the house on Sunday morning but did not return for a long time. Pushpavalli went in search of her mother and found her standing near the farm well. While attempting to keep her mother away from the well, the duo accidentally fell into the well and drowned.
Mayilathal’s youngest daughter Bhuvana Sundari alerted the family, who called the villagers for help. Fire and rescue personnel from Dharapuram recovered the bodies after an hour of effort. The bodies were then sent to Dharapuram Government Hospital for post-mortem examination.
The police registered a case and initiated an investigation.