A contract labourer died and two other workers were injured when a building’s dilapidated compound wall collapsed on them on the First Main Road in Ram Nagar of Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar in Perambur on Thursday.
Police arrested the contractor, K. Subramani, for negligence. Police said that the incident occurred around 4.30 p.m. The workers were engaged in the construction work when the wall gave way.
At the time of the incident, the victims were working with steel rods by the wall in front the building that was under construction. A huge amount of sand had been dumped on the other side of the wall. Due to the weight of the sand, the dilapidated wall collapsed and fell on the workers.
The three labourers, who are from the same district, were trapped under the debris. Others working in the area immediately informed the police.
Fire and rescue services personnel rushed to the scene and removed the debris. The victims were rushed to Stanley Medical College Hospital (SMCH) by a 108 ambulance.
S. Premkumar (42), a native of Gandhi Nagar in Arani of Tiruvannamalai district, died on the way to the Government Stanley Hospital while K. Dhandraj (38) and S. Kalaivanan (36), are being treated in the ICU.
A case has filed by the Thiru-Vi-Ka police against the contractor for negligence. “The contractor should have taken precautions,” a police officer said.
Subramani was remanded in judicial custody after being produced before a magistrate court in the city.