Kollam: Three people, including a fire and rescue officer, died after the wall of a well collapsed during a rescue operation at Neduvathoor in Kollam on Monday. The incident took place shortly after midnight. 

The deceased have been identified as Soni S Kumar (36), a native of Attingal and a member of the Kottarakkara Fire and Rescue Unit; Archana (33), a native of Neduvathur, and Sivakrishnan (22), a native of Kodungalloor, Thrissur. Sivakrishnan was Archana’s partner.

The accident occurred when fire and rescue personnel arrived to save Archana, who had jumped into a well following an altercation with her partner, Sivakrishnan. The fire force was called in after the suicide attempt, and Officer Soni S Kumar tied a rope around his waist before jumping in to rescue her.

As Sivakrishnan leaned on the wall of the well while shining a flashlight into it, the parapet gave way. Soni was on his way up with Archana when the wall collapsed, trapping and killing both of them. Sivakrishnan too fell into the well and died. Soni was pulled out immediately as he had a rope tied around him, while Archana and Sivakrishnan were recovered later after being trapped under the debris.  Two units of fire force from Kundara and Kollam also rushed to the site for the rescue operations following the wall collapse.

“The rocks from the well had fallen on Sivakrishnan. He had suffered a severe head injury and was declared brain dead on arrival at the hospital,” Assistant Station Officer Venu told the media.

Archana worked as a home nurse. She is survived by her three children — Aiswarya (14), Adityan (12), and Anusree (10). According to Renjini B, a ward member of Neduvathoor Grama Panchayat, the family had been living in the area for the past five years, and Sivakrishnan had moved in with them two months ago.

"The family lived in a house built with funds of over ₹4 lakh under the LIFE Mission scheme. The construction was nearing completion," Renjini told Onmanorama. Sivakrishnan used to take care of the children while she was at work. Her mother, also a home nurse, lived nearby in rented accommodation.

Following the autopsy, the bodies were released to the families. Soni S Kumar’s remains will be kept at the Kottarakara Fire and Rescue Station for public viewing before being brought to his home in Attingal.