Wall collapses due to heavy rain; labourer killed, 3 hurt

A daily wage labourer was killed and three injured after a compound wall came crashing down on a shed at Balaji Layout in Vidyapeetha ward, South Bengaluru, due to heavy rain on Saturday.

A senior police officer said the incident occurred around 1.45 am when the wall of a neighbouring house came crashing down on two sheds where a family was staying.

While Mahantesh (30) died on the spot, his wife Parvathi (22), her elder brother Sharanappa (34) and his wife Shobha (27) were trapped under debris and sustained injuries.

Gautham, the brother-in-law of the deceased, who was sleeping near the office, was the first to witness the incident and ran out and called for help.

Fire and emergency services personnel recovered Mahantesh’s body early in the morning. Officials said the wall was not old but it collapsed as the quality of construction was poor. Gautham said he ran out and started screaming for help.

The Chennammanakere Achkat police have registered a case against the owner of the site, Chitti Babu, and the contractor and are investigating.

Mayor R Sampath Raj visited the spot and ordered BBMP South zone officials to investigate to ascertain the cause of the accident. He also announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family of the deceased and for the medical treatment for the injured. But the family claimed they received nothing in writing.