35-Year-Old Woman Critical After Balcony Wall Collapses at Teynampet Tenement

A 35-year-old woman sustained critical injuries on Friday morning after a newly constructed balcony wall collapsed on the third floor of a Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB) tenement in Sathya Moorthy Nagar, near Teynampet, causing her to fall to the ground.

The victim, K Lakshmi, a resident of Block 56, suffered a brain haemorrhage, internal bleeding, rib fractures, and multiple other injuries. She was placed on ventilator support at a private hospital following the fall.

The incident occurred when Lakshmi went to the balcony to adjust clothes on a clothesline using a stick. CCTV footage showed the newly built wall collapsing immediately upon slight contact, sending both the masonry and Lakshmi falling from the third-floor height.

Workers engaged by a private contractor for the TNUHDB had rebuilt the balcony wall on Thursday as part of ongoing renovation works at the 40-year-old tenement building. The brickwork was completed around 6 p.m. on Thursday and left to dry overnight before plastering could begin.

TNUHDB officials claimed that residents had been warned not to use the balcony. However, several residents stated they were unaware of any warning as they had returned home late from work. Residents also pointed out that no physical safeguards, such as barricades or scaffolding, had been erected around the wet wall to prevent contact before the accident occurred.

Officials attributed the collapse to overnight rain that prevented the masonry from drying properly. Residents rejected this explanation, questioning the quality of the construction materials and pointing out that a properly cured wall should not collapse from minimal contact.

Following the accident, scaffolding was erected around the damaged balcony. TNUHDB officials acknowledged the safety lapse and stated that adequate safety measures would be ensured for the remaining renovation work at the site.

The Teynampet police have registered a case under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). Lakshmi, who works as a housekeeper, is the primary breadwinner for her family, which includes her husband and two children.