Couple, 7-year-old die in wall collapse

S Venkatraman (40), a daily worker had constructed a new wall along his house but he did not remove the old wall. The area received heavy rainfall since Tuesday which weakened the old wall further and it collapsed. The incident occurred a few hours after midnight and Venkatraman, his wife V Karthika (35) and daughter Sahithya, who were sleeping near the wall, got buried under the debris.

The couple had another daughter, 11-year-old Varshini, who escaped with minor injuries, said sources.

The police reached the spot after neighbours called them up, retrieved the bodies and sent them to the Mayiladuthurai GH. Varshini has been admitted to the hospital.