Wind uproots tree and mobile tower, claims two lives

Coimbatore: Heavy wind claimed a life in the district and another one in neighbouring Tirupur when a tree and an abandoned 80-ft tall mobile tower were uprooted on Tuesday.

In the district, a 29-year-old medical representative was killed after a tree fell on him at Theethipalayam near Perur while he was returning home on a motorcycle.

Police identified the deceased as K Sathish Kumar, of West Street at Sennanur, on the outskirts of the city.

The Perur police said the tree was uprooted in the heavy wind that accompanied rain. “He suffered severe head injuries and other motorists took him to the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital, where he died around 4.50am,” an officer said.

The body was handed over to his family members after postmortem. Kumar’s father R Karuppusamy, 59, a farmer, has lodged a complaint with the Perur police, who registered a case.

In Tirupur, a 53-year-old man was killed after the mobile tower, which was not in use for years, fell on him while he was riding a motorcycle at Veerapandi. Police identified the deceased as S Sengishkhan, a native of Namakkal district. Employed as a supervisor with an export company in Tirupur, he was residing at Kongu Nagar.

While a truck was also trapped under the mobile tower, neither the driver was injured, nor the vehicle was damaged.

Traffic came to a grinding halt on Tirupur-Palladam road following the incident. The Veerapandi police rushed to the spot and removed the tower from the road. Tirupur collector K Vijayakarthikeyan also visited the accident spot. Traffic was restored on the stretch after 30 minutes.