8-Year-Old Boy Died After Debris Fell at Railway Waiting Room in Guntakal

Anantapur: An 8-year-old boy died after debris fell on him at the general waiting hall of Guntakal Railway Station in Anantapur district in the wee hours on Friday.

Manikanta, along with his father Venkateswarlu and family members, came to Guntakal Junction to go to Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu. As the train was to arrive after few hours , the family members went to the general waiting hall. Manikanta,8, who was in deep sleep, was placed at one side of the waiting hall. Suddenly, debris fell on the head of Manikanta, who suffered serious injuries and fell unconscious.

The family members tried for emergency medical aid on the railway station premises but couldn't get a response immediately and they approached the railway hospital where the doctors reportedly referred the case to a medico legal case and directed the parents to take him to Guntakal government hospital about three kilometres from the railway station.

After providing necessary treatment the Guntakal hospital doctors referred the case to Kurnool as the boy’s condition was serious. By the time when the family members proceeded to Kurnool, Manikanta died while reaching Kurnool. The issue raised many eyebrows over the negligence of the railway department in saving a boy who suffered a head injury.

Sources said the decades-old Guntakal Railway Station of the British period was allegedly beautified with a false ceiling but neglected the main structure. The debris fell on the head of the boy while he was in deep sleep at the general waiting hall.