Coimbatore sanitary workers recuse boy trapped in house

EDITED/SALIL (PUBLISHED ONLINE) Coimbatore: A group of sanitary workers rescued a four-year-old boy trapped in a house with a gas stove on in Avarampalayam area in the city on Friday morning.

S Nadhiya of VG Rao Nagar was engaged in household chores.

She placed a pressure cooker and vessel containing water on two burners of the stove and ignited. When she stepped out to dispose of waste in the dustbin, her son playfully locked the door from inside.

Nadhiya and the boy’s grandmother, who were outside the house, panicked. Nadhiya saw a corporation supervisor crossing the area and requested him to help her.The supervisor, identified as Prasanth Gangatharan, told TOI, "While I was on duty, the woman approached me seeking help to save her son.

We made multiple attempts to direct the boy to fetch the keys and to try opening the lock. The boy was also in an anxious state, and all our attempts failed. Fortunately, the stove was reachable from the kitchen window. The cooker was moved from the stove while it remained lit. We refilled water in the boiling vessel.

In the meantime, with the help of a construction equipment, we broke open the door and rescued the boy after nearly 40 minutes of struggle."

Four sanitary workers, two drivers, and a couple of neighbours assisted in the rescue operation. Nadhiya told TOI, "If it were a wooden door, it could have been easily broken. Ours was a steel door, which made the situation complicated. There were all possibilities of a fire accident occurring, and we could not open the windows, because of which my son became anxious."While appreciating the brave attempts of the workers, ward councillor A Mariaraj said, "Their efforts are acknowledged, but at the same time, they must ensure their safety as well. While dealing with incidents relating to fire, they must primarily inform the fire and rescue department and proceed accordingly. We told the same to them. Fortunately, they prevented a tragedy."