The district police have launched a probe into the death of three workers including two women who died when a portico under construction in a private matriculation school at Vengalam collapsed at around 8 p.m. on Sunday night.
The incident happened at Annai Matriculation School in Veppanthattai taluk where a new building was under construction along with a portico on the school premises.
The labourers including four women and an electrician who were engaged for the construction work apparently took refuge under the portico due to rain. Sources said the portico suddenly collapsed after scaffoldings gave in and fell on the workers causing the death of P. Priya (19), N. Gandhi (40) and M. Ganesan (38) on the spot.
The other workers P. Chandra (35), R. Chitra (25) and M. Manikandan (22) were caught under the debris and sustained injuries. All the four women workers hailed from Lathuvadi in Salem district while Ganesan, an electrician, hailed from Theni district and Manikandan from Arumbavur in Perambalur district.
Fire fighters rushed to the spot and carried out rescue operation, which got over in the early hours on Monday.
The three were found dead on the spot and the fire fighters pulled out three others who were caught under the debris and shifted them to the hospital.
Superintendent of Police Sonal Chandra and senior police officers were at the spot monitoring the rescue operation.
On a complaint from the Vengalam Village Administrative Officer Jayaraman, the Arumbavur police have booked a case under IPC section 304 (ii) (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others).
The police have named the school correspondent A. Thangavel, Dhinakaran, engineer and contractor, and a mason as accused in connection with the incident. The post mortem of the bodies was conducted at the Government Hospital here on Monday.
