An elderly man was found dead inside a lift attached to his home in Pathanamthitta. The man, Mathukutty (74) and his wife Annamma, lived alone in their home in Kadammanitta, Pathanamthitta with their children living abroad. 

The lift was located adjacent to the car porch and leading to the first floor of the house. Mathukutty, a retired KSRTC employee, had come downstairs with a worker and returned via the lift. It is suspected that power supply went off and he tried to look out of the lift when his head got stuck in the space between the lift and its shaft. Officials also suspect that he could have slipped, with his head getting stuck when he fell. 

Mathukutty’s wife saw that he was stuck and immediately cried for help. Residents nearby rushed to the spot and called the Fire and Rescue Services.

“The lift was primarily used to transport objects. The couple, due to their age-related ailments, also used this lift. It was only four feet wide. He is suspected to have had slipped and fell, getting his head stuck in the space between the inner and outer layers of the lift. Death was instantaneous,” said Pradeep, Fire and Rescue Officer, Pathanamthitta Fire and Rescue Station.

The Aranmula police said the body was shifted to a private morgue and that a case of unnatural death was registered. Investigation is on to ascertain what exactly led to the accident.