Man dies in lift crash

A marriage function at a hall at Korukkupet police limits ended in tragedy on Sunday when a lift came crashing down after the rope holding it allegedly snapped, killing a bank employee from Andhra Pradesh and severely injuring a couple  who were using it. Police, who were on the lookout for the hall authorities, said they were examining the paperwork for running the lift.

Police said Krishna Kumar of Tiruvottiyur and Asha of Parrys Corner got married at Sri Annai Mahal at Tiruvottiyur High Road on Sunday morning.

While relatives and guests were having lunch at the top floor dining hall of the three-storey building, Sunita and her husband Srinivasalu (55), an employee in a tobacco company in Andhra Pradesh, got into the lift on the same floor after lunch. The lift stopped at the second floor, and Prasad, a private bank employee from Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh, got in.

When it started descending again, there was a big jerk. Prasad feared for his life and called someone on his mobile phone seeking help, claiming he was suffocating, the police said. By that time, the rope holding the lift snapped and the lift came crashing down. Police sources claimed that part of the roof of the lift, including the exhaust fan, fell on the occupants of the lift. While Prasad died on the spot, Sunita sustained injuries to her neck and Srinivasalu fractured his leg. They were taken to a private hospital in Tondiarpet.

“We will have to wait for the postmortem report to determine the nature of Prasad’s injury,” said P Sivasankaran, Police Inspector, Law and Order, Korukkupet. Srinivasalu, according to the police, was a relative of both the groom and the bride and had two children.  “Prasad got into the lift on the second floor and had called someone, saying he was feeling suffocated,” Pandurangan quoted his brother Srinivasalu as saying.

Police sources said there were two lifts in the wedding hall, both of which started functioning approximately six months ago. While the elevator for the visitors was rarely operational, the other one was used primarily

to carry loads, police sources said and added that previous visitors had complained to the hall staff about their uncomfortable ride on the ill-fated lift.

“They have all the documents required to have a lift but we are scrutinizing them. We are now on the lookout for those who are responsible for the lapses, including

the administration chaps,” said K G Narasimma Varman, Assistant Commissioner, Washermenpet.