5-year-old girl killed, another child injured as iron gate collapses in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: A five-year-old girl died on the spot while her three-year-old cousin sustained injuries after an iron gate collapsed on them while they were playing in front of a house in Chikkabanavara on Friday evening.

The deceased has been identified as Gausiya (5), daughter of Imam and Rameeja. The injured child, Sumaiyya (3), daughter of Imam’s sister Shakeela, is undergoing treatment at a hospital.

The family, natives of Vijayanagar in Ballari district, work as fruit vendors and were staying in a rented house in Dwaraka Nagar. Police said the two girls were playing while hanging onto the iron gate attached to the compound wall when it suddenly collapsed on them. Gausiya suffered a severe head injury and died on the spot, while neighbours rushed Sumaiyya to a nearby hospital.

The house belongs to Ravi Shankar, and the victims’ family had moved into the house barely five months ago. The body was shifted to Victoria Hospital for postmortem examination. Locals alleged that negligence on the part of the house owner led to the tragedy, and said the four-foot gate, which had been fixed a few years ago, had reportedly rusted.

Chikkabanavara police registered a case of accidental death as the victim’s parents did not file a complaint against the house owner, a police officer said.