Two fall to death as pit cover breaks

They had come to serve a feast at a marriage ceremony but ended up falling prey to death. Two women were killed and a girl injured when a slab that covered a 45-feet drainage pit broke down in the Navrangpura area on Friday.

The three fell into the pit and two of them died. It took the Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Service (AFES) almost an hour to fish out the body of the victims. Jamben Dantani (60) and Hiraben Dantani (65) died in the accident, while Anjali Dantani (8) survived with some injuries. 

The trio were part of a team that had come to prepare meals for a feast as part of the marriage ceremony of Hardik Vora, the son of Pravin Vora , who lives in Vapi Society near Nagari Hospital. "The trio was sitting on the slab and cutting vegetables," an eye witness said. "The incident occurred at around 3 pm when the slab on which they were sitting suddenly broke and the women fell inside the drainage pit," police inspector, KC Rathod told DNA.

The drainage pit was around 100 years old and was constructed in the party plot of the society.  "The pit was not sealed properly and the slab which covered it was also very old. This is why it broke and the victims lost their lives," a fire brigade official said.
Hiraben died on the spot, while Jamben died at the VS Hospital.  "Anjali was given immediate medical treatment and is out of danger," an official said.  Vapi society is among the oldest societies in the Mithakhali village in the Navrangpura area.