A 29-year-old software engineer from Andhra Pradesh died at the domestic airport in Chennai on Monday after he fell off from an elevated ramp. The deceased, identified as Chaitanya Vuyuru, hailed from Vijayawada. The man was reported to be using his phone at the time of the incident.
According to reports, the techie fell from the ramp near gate no. 4 of the domestic departure terminal.
PTI reported that the elevated ramp was used by vehicles to reach the departure lounge, and the victim had an e-booking to travel to Bengaluru in the morning.
“Autopsy will be done on Tuesday. The man was brought dead. We have been told that his kin are on the way to Chennai,” a senior doctor at the Chrompet Government Hospital told PTI.
ToI reported that CCTV footage suggested that the man was either speaking to someone on the phone, or was taking a selfie, as he was sitting on the railing.
"He may have an e-ticket in his mobile. But his Apple iPhone was damaged in the incident. Another phone he carried was malfunctioning after the fall from the flyover," a police officer told the newspaper.
The airport police have registered a case under Section 174 (unnatural death) of the CrPC.
Reports also quoted flyers expressing shock at the incident, as it occurred despite several levels of security checks at the airport.
The Chennai International and Domestic Airport was inaugurated on January 31, 2013, following which the domestic terminal began functioning in April and the international terminal started functioning in July, 2013.
It is also notorious for numerous instances of falling false ceilings and glass panels, since its inauguration.
Due to this, the Tamil Nadu government is studying two locations in the state to finalise a second airport for Chennai. The location is set to be decided by December 31.