Coimbatore: The city police on Sunday arrested a construction engineer for negligence after a ready mix concrete lorry fell into a 15-ft pit at a construction site crushing to death its driver and cleaner in Race Course on Saturday night.
The driver Chellamuthu, 40, a native of Attur in Salem district and cleaner Dinesh, 18, from Edumalai in Tiruchy district died on the spot.
The driver had taken the vehicle in reverse direction, closer to the pit to pour the concrete mix, when the lorry toppled into the pit. There were around 70 construction workers employed in the site, located behind an institution on Avinashi Road, at that time. As the two men were caught under the vehicle, they could not be rescued immediately. On receiving information, the fire and rescue personnel rushed to the spot and lifted the concrete mix lorry using cranes after battling for over three hours.
They managed to retrieve the crushed bodies of Chellamuthu and Dinesh only past midnight and sent them to the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) for post-mortem.
Based on a complaint from another construction labourer Saravanan from Manachanallur in Trichy district, the Race Course police booked a case against construction engineer Karthick, 23, under IPC section 304-A for causing death by negligence. Further enquiries are on.
