Four dead in pipe burst at dam site

Thiruvananthapuram: Four people died when a dam pipe burst in Idukki district in Kerala late on Monday. Three bodies were recovered the same day and one more was retrieved yesterday morning.

Three of the dead were identified to be employees of the Kerala State Electricity Board. The victims were attempting to close the valve of a penstock pipe taking water to the Panniyar power house from the Ponmudi dam when the pipe gave way.

Seven houses were destroyed and at least 12 more damaged besides crops over a 250-acre area. Some of the affected families have been temporarily put up at a church in Vellathuval.