CHENNAI: A three-year-old boy was killed after a shoring plate (metal) used as a barrier for underground drainage works snapped while it was being lifted with an earthmover and fell on him at Kannappasamy Nagar near Kavangarai in Puzhal on Saturday (July 11) evening.
The severely injured boy succumbed early on Sunday (July 12) while undergoing treatment at a hospital. The police have arrested five persons, including the contractor and the vehicle operator.
The deceased boy has been identified as Shah Rukh Eswaran. According to the police, Shah Rukh lived with his family in Kannapasamy Nagar.
On Saturday (July 11) evening, Shah Rukh and his father Vignesh, a casual labourer, were walking home after ordering a cake at a bakery for his birthday next week when the accident happened along the Kannappasamy Nagar main road.
"A belt fastening the metal plate on the earthmover snapped and it hit the child before collapsing," a police officer said.
Onlookers and residents in the neighbourhood rushed to the spot and moved Shah Rukh to a hospital nearby.
As news spread, residents in his neighbourhood and relatives gathered at the hospital, hoping for a miracle. Police personnel were deployed outside the hospital to prevent any untoward incident. Shah Rukh passed away early on Sunday without responding to treatment.
According to the police, over 20 streets in Kannappasamy Nagar and surrounding areas have been dug up over the past one year for underground drainage works, and residents have complained to authorities to expedite the works, as the increased movement of heavy vehicles in the residential area posed safety threats.
The Puzhal police have registered a case of negligence and arrested the contractor M Muthukumar (48), supervisor L Venkatesan (26), crane operator V Ramesh (38) and two individuals R Arulselvan (48) and Dilip Parik (48).