Four people in a family including two children were crushed to death when a temporary stone compound wall collapsed on them, at Karkihalli village in Deodurg taluk of Raichur district, in the wee hours on Friday. The victims were identified as Kariyappa (30), his wife Neelamma (25), their children Ashok (8) and Mallappa (4). Another child, Anil (5) somehow survived.
According to the relatives, the victims had, after finishing their dinner on Thursday night, slept in the yard beside a heavy six-feet compound wall made of large Shabadi stone-blocks without using any concrete or mud and supported by a thick wood piece.
"The victims in drowsiness have apparently jerked the wood piece which had been put in support of the slightly bended stone-wall causing the stone-blocks to collapse on them and killing on the spot," Ramesh Methi, in-charge Deputy Superintendent of Police, Lingasugur, told The Hindu. A case has been registered in Deodurg police station in this regard, he added.
The villagers said that the family, which had migrated to Bangalore for livelihood some years back, had come to the village for attending Maruteshwara Jathre. After participating in the Jathre, all of them were planning to leave for Bangalore on Friday morning.
Deodurg MLA A Venktaesh Naik, Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth S Senthil, Raichur Assistant Commissioner M P Maruthi visited the spot.
