Woman dies and toddler grandson injured in Khairatabad lift shaft fall
A 57-year-old partially visually impaired woman died and her 15-month-old grandson was injured on Friday after falling into a lift shaft from the fifth floor of Bhavani Apartments in Anand Nagar Colony in Khairatabad, Hyderabad.
The victim, K Radha, was declared brought dead at NIMS Hospital, while her toddler grandson was rushed to CARE Hospitals in Banjara Hills, where he remains under observation.
The incident occurred at 6:15 p.m. on Friday when Radha was returning to the fourth floor, where her daughter's family lives. According to Khairatabad inspector B Venkata Reddy, Radha had gone to the terrace of the five-storied apartment complex with her two grandchildren to play. While returning, her granddaughter took the stairs, while her grandson stayed with her to take the lift.
Police investigators reviewed CCTV footage, which showed Radha attempting to open the landing door. When it did not open the first time, she forcefully pulled the door open on her second attempt and stepped forward, unaware that the lift car was actually on the first floor.
As she fell into the shaft, Radha attempted to grab the lift cables but could not hold on. She and her grandson fell onto the top of the lift car, where she became trapped horizontally between the lift cables and the shaft wall.
Residents on the lower floors heard a loud thud and rushed out. They alerted Radha's daughter and managed to rescue the child before shifting him to CARE Hospitals. Police officers, alerted through a "Dial 100" call, reached the spot and climbed onto the lift structure to retrieve Radha. She was shifted to NIMS Hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead due to severe head injuries and fractures to both legs.
Radha, a native of Visakhapatnam, was 70% visually impaired and undergoing dialysis. She had recently relocated to the Khairatabad flat from Uppal to live with her daughter and son-in-law. GHMC officials from the Khairatabad zone remained unresponsive to requests for comment.
