Pregnant woman miraculously escapes unhurt after falling into under-construction culvert; minister seeks report

ALAPPUZHA: A pregnant woman miraculously escaped unhurt after falling into an under-construction culvert at Indira Junction in Alappuzha. The incident took place at around 7.30 pm last Wednesday. After the CCTV footage of the incident became widespread, the locals came forward with the allegation that accidents are a regular occurrence in this area.

The woman and her husband were on their way to a clothing store on Indira junction-Thriveni Road in Mannancherry when the accident took place. A makeshift wooden plank had been placed over the under-construction culvert for people to enter the store. As the woman stepped on this wooden plank, it broke and she fell into the culvert. Following this, she was taken out of the culvert by her husband. As the footage of the incident circulated, workers placed a concrete slab over the culvert the very next morning

Meanwhile, iron rods protruding from another part of the culvert pose a serious risk to the public. Locals noted that if the young woman had fallen on that side, the rods could have pierced into her body, causing a major accident.

Minister seeks report
Minister Muhammad Riyas has directed an inquiry into the incident where the pregnant woman fell into the culvert. Public Works Department Chief Engineer Ajith Ramachandran has been tasked with investigating the incident.