Two boys, both aged 17, lost their lives and one boy sustained serious injuries on Thursday, January 27, after the roof of a dilapidated building collapsed onto them. The two deceased boys have been identified as Veerasekaran and Sathish Kumar. The boy who sustained injuries, Bhuvanesh, is receiving treatment at the Cuddalore Government Hospital.
The building had been constructed in 2013 by NGOs for Sri Lankan Tamil refugees at the S Pudur village in Cuddalore district. However, due to the building’s condition and lack of amenities, it remained unoccupied. The three boys were playing in the building when the wall collapsed and fell on them. The roof and side wall of the building suddenly caved in, trapping the boys under the debris, killing two on the spot, police said. Visuals of the scene showed a pile of rubble and locals helped rescue the boys. While two of the boys died on the spot, Bhuvanesh was rushed to the hospital.
Tamil Nadu MK Stalin announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the families of the deceased, and extended his condolences. He also directed the hospital to give special treatment to Bhuvanesh and announced Rs 50,000 for him.
In December 2021, a wall collapse in Tirunelveli killed three school children after a toilet’s wall fell on them. The district collector of Pudukottai then ordered the demolition of 100 school buildings in the district as they did not adhere to safety standards. The school education department had sent a communique to the district authorities on the poor conditions of 259 school buildings in the district and higher officials have selected 100 out of them. The 100 selected by higher officials are ordered to be demolished by the district collector.