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Cyclone Michaung: Bodies of 2 trapped in trench recovered in Chennai
Two site supervisors were arrested for the accident and police are on the lookout for two more accused, officials said
Rescuers on Friday retrieved bodies of two men who had been trapped inside a 60-foot trench in Chennai for nearly four days after the heavy rains brought by Cyclone Michaung caused a cave-in at a construction site, police officials aware of the matter said.
Two site supervisors were arrested for the accident and police are on the lookout for two more accused, the officials said.
The men – an assistant construction engineer identified as R Jayaseelan and a gas station worker, 21-year old Naresh – got stuck in the trench that was dug up for the construction of an office building in Chennai’s Guindy after a makeshift container, a bus shelter and a portion of an LPG gas station caved in on December 4. They were working inside the makeshift container office.
Rescue personnel fished out Naresh’s body around 4.45 am and Jayaseelan’s body around 1.45 pm, police said.
A joint operation by the Greater Chennai Police, Tamil Nadu fire and rescue services and the National Disaster Relief Force swung into action and they were able to rescue two employees on the day of the accident.
But incessant rains on December 4 had increased the water levels here making it tough for rescuers to reach those trapped. Experts from Neyveli Lignite Corporation and pumping equipment from Larson & Turbo were brought in but their hopes began to dwindle. The families of both the trapped employees, including Jayaseelan’s pregnant wife, had been at the spot demanding accountability.
Initially, the Guindy police had registered a case of missing persons which on Friday was altered to section 304 of the IPC which pertains to punishment for negligence leading to culpable homicide.
Sivakumar (owner of the private company Green Tech Structural Constructions), site supervisors Ezhil and Santhosh, and a manager Manikandan have been identified as the accused in the case. On Friday, police arrested Ezhil and Santosh. “Efforts are on to nab Sivakumar and Manikandan,” a senior police official said.
Greater Chennai Corporation commissioner R Radhakrishnan assured the families that the law enforcement would take action to give them justice. “Investigations into the accident are underway. We will also separately investigate the violations which led this road to collapse,” the commissioner said.
