100 hours since mishap, one body retrieved from Velachery 60-ft trench

CHENNAI: The body of one person was retrieved from the 60-foot trench in Velachery on Friday morning by rescue personnel after about 100 hours since the mishap occurred.

Police and rescue personnel at the scene told DT Next that the body was in a decomposed state.

The family of one of the suspected victim, Naresh (21), staff of the fuel station adjacent to the under-construction site have left the premises to the hospital to confirm the identity.

The family of Jayaseelan (31) the assistant electrical engineer who is said to be in the container office at the under-construction site are still at the site. Jayaseelan’s pregnant wife, Manju has stayed put at the scene since Monday.

Read: As anxiety looms, slush poses challenge to rescue ops

Meanwhile, a top official with Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services (TNFRS) said that the rescue teams managed to spot the container and it was cut open, but there was no person inside it and the rescue personnel is continuing operations looking through the slush.

The duo were trapped in the trench after the land caved in bringing down the makeshift container office of the construction site, a bus shelter, and a portion of the floor of the fuel outlet adjoining the trench following heavy rains on Monday.

While R Jayaseelan (32), an assistant electrical engineer with Green Tech, was in the container office which had a sixty-foot fall at the time, Naresh (21) was working at the LPG fuel station.

The continuous downpour and the flow of water in the streets led to the trench being quickly filled with water up to road level.

On Thursday, the addition of While private Engineering firm, Larsen and Toubro (L&T), bolstered the dewatering operations with over 50 feet of water being pumped out from the pond-sized trench since Wednesday night.

However, the last stage proved to be a struggle despite the use of high-end machines as slush and spring water hindered the operations.