Woman Dies After Fall into Waterlogged Pit Near Anna Nagar Tower Metro

A 59-year-old woman died on Sunday night after she allegedly slipped and fell into a water-filled pit near a stormwater drain close to the Anna Nagar Tower Metro Station. An underground cable line was running near the spot where the incident occurred.

The victim was identified as Kalavathi, a resident of Padi Puthu Nagar. She was employed as a housekeeping worker at a sweet shop located in Anna Nagar.

According to the police, passers-by who attempted to pull her out felt a mild electric current in the water. Following an alert, a police team reached the scene and retrieved the woman. She was rushed to the Government Medical College Hospital, where doctors examined her and declared her brought-dead.

The deceased’s daughter, Sangeetha, alleged that her mother died of electrocution, stating that police personnel had initially told her that Kalavathi might have suffered an electric shock. Police officials, however, noted that the exact cause of death will be established only after the post-mortem report is finalized. A case of unnatural death has been registered, and an investigation remains underway.

Electricity Department officials inspected the site following the incident and reportedly ruled out any leakage from the power cable that could have caused an electric shock.

Meanwhile, an official with the Greater Chennai Corporation stated that stormwater drain construction near Tower Park at the Anna Nagar Metro station had been finished over a month earlier, asserting there was no trench at the location where the woman fell. The official mentioned that rainwater had accumulated up to toe level in the area and suggested the incident could have been caused by an electric shock. The civic body's electrical department had not submitted any reports regarding exposed wiring at the location prior to the incident.

In the wake of the fatality, GCC Commissioner G.S. Sameeran and Regional Deputy Commissioner (Central) H.R. Koushik directed field officials to inspect and identify locations with exposed cables across the city and coordinate with the State Electricity Board for immediate corrective action. Work on a silt catch pit and a road crossing at the site remains pending, awaiting clearance from the police.