Boy killed in church wall collapse

The wall had developed cracks and had been shaking for about a month.

(Photo Courtesy: sakaaltimes.com)

Pune:  A teenaged boy was killed and four of his friends injured after the wall of a church collapsed in Pimpri, Pune.

The incident happened yesterday during a game of cricket at the playground of Alphonso School adjacent to the Saint Paul's church at Kalewadi.

The victim, Swapnil Lewis Kolge, was sitting near the compound wall with Ritesh Nakhate (10), Aman Tayde (14), Ketan Kapadnis and Atharva Mali (12) when the wall caved in , said A B Londhe, assistant inspector.

A group of boys were playing cricket and Swapnil and his friends were waiting for their turn to bat when the five-foot wall caved in, Londhe said.

"The boys were rescued by their friends and some passersby and taken to a nearby hospital, where Swapnil succumbed to his injuries during treatment," he said.

Two boys sustained fractures while the others escaped with minor injuries, Londhe said.

The police have booked chairman of the church Reverend P D John, cashier Shyam Kutty John and secretary P K Kurien for criminal negligence.

According to the local residents, the church is around two decades old and is opened only for prayers on special occasions.

"We will ask the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation authorities if they have issued a notice to the church. During the course of investigation, we will inquire if the local residents have made any complaints to the church authorities to repair the dilapidated compound wall," Londhe said.

One of the residents Kumar Jadhav said the compound wall had developed cracks and had been shaking for about a month, but the church authorities did not take steps to either demolish or repair it despite several complaints from the residents.

"The incident could have been averted had the church authorities acted instantly on the citizens' complaints," he said.

Source: Times of India