A five-year-old girl, who was sleeping inside a hut with her parents on Porur Main Road in Kundrathur, died after a five-foot compound wall collapsed on Sunday.
The victim was identified as Masani, 5, daughter of Mohan, 28, and Pushpa, 25, from the gypsy community. The police said the wall might have become weak in rain and collapsed due to the vibrations caused by an excavator digging the road for pipe laying.
The accident happened around 2 a.m.
“The girl was sleeping in the corner of the hut and died after debris fell on her. Her mother sustained injuries,” a police officer said.
The Kundrathur police sent her body for post-mortem to the Chromepet Government Hospital.
The police said the family, along with a few others, was staying on the pavement.
Neighbours and workers rushed to the rescue of the family on hearing the noise. “We have arrested vehicle operator Ayyapan. We are searching for the contractors,” a police officer said.
