Date:05/09/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/09/05/stories/2007090560450100.htm

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Two pedestrians killed in wall collapse

Staff Reporter

Six-year-old boy is among the victims

— Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

Negligence?: Workers engaged in rescue operations at the site where a wall of a building collapsed at Kacharakanahalli in Bangalore on Tuesday.

Bangalore: A six-year-old boy was among the two pedestrians killed when a wall of a house which was being demolished collapsed on them at around 6 p.m. on Tuesday in Kacharakana Halli, off Hennur Main Road. The child has been identified as Yogesh. The second victim has not been identified, although the police believe he is about 20 years old and hailed from the northeast.

Nandini (26), mother of Yogesh, and Ellangovan (40), a worker employed at the demolition site, were also injured in the incident. While Ms. Nandini suffered fractures to her shin, shoulder and hip bones, Mr. Ellangovan escaped with minor injuries. Ms. Nandini has been admitted to the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital and Mr. Ellangovan is convalescing at the Satya Sai Hospital in Banaswadi. Both are said to be out of danger.

Eyewitnesses claimed that the accident occurred owing to negligence on the part of the workers who went about the demolition of the 80-year-old house in a haphazard manner. Krishna Murthy, a resident of the area, said: “After an entire day, the workers had managed to demolish only a part of the building and the part that was still standing had no support, which is why it collapsed.”

Mr. Ellangovan told The Hindu from his hospital bed that he and three other workers were demolishing the building without any supervision.

Rohit (17), a student of Ravi Verma College of Arts, was one of the first people to take part in rescue efforts. He took Yogesh to the Satya Sai Hospital. “I heard a loud sound and rushed to the spot. I saw rubble all over and spotted Yogesh’s little hand jutting out of the debris. With great difficulty I managed to pull him out. I asked the onlookers for help but no one came forward, so I ran with the child in my arms to the Satya Sai Hospital,” Rohit said. The hospital is around one and a half kilometres from the accident site.

When the assembled journalists broke the news of the child’s death to Rohit, he was distraught. “If some of the elders had helped me, the child’s life might have been saved,” he said.

The Banaswadi police, who are investigating the case, are yet to ascertain the identity of the building owner. A case has been registered.