Man, son die after slipping into well near Tirukoilur while fixing motor pump

KALLAKURICHI: A 65-year-old man and his son died after they slipped into a 90-foot farm well while fixing an electric motor pump to drain water at a village near Tirukoilur in Kallakurichi district. The deceased were identified as Ayyannar, a farmer from Kattupanaiyur village and his son, A Vinuganesh, 28.

Police said the electric motor pump in Ayyannar’s farm well had recently malfunctioned. He got the pump repaired. He went to the well with his son on Friday evening to reinstall it. While they were lowering the pump using a pipe, they lost their balance and slipped into the well. Since the water level was only about three feet deep, the fall caused severe injuries. They were unable to climb out.

The incident came to light a short while later when a passerby noticed the two men lying motionless inside the well and alerted the villagers, who in turn alerted Tirukoilur fire and rescue services. A team reached the spot, and after a difficult operation, both men were lifted from the depths of the well.

Ayyannar was found dead at the scene, Vinuganesh was taken by an ambulance to the Tirukoilur govt hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival. The bodies have been sent to the Kallakurichi Govt Medical College Hospital for postmortem.

The Tirukoilur police have registered a case and are investigating the circumstances of the accidental fall.