Four-year-old Dies as Thatched Hut Collapses Amid Rain in Tirupati District

Tirupati: A four-year-old boy died when the wall of his family's thatched hut collapsed due to heavy rains in the Chindepalli tribal colony of Tirupati district on Sunday.

The deceased was Yashwanth, son of Srinu and Kaveri.

According to sources, the boy was left alone inside the hut while his family members were engaged in domestic work. Suddenly rainwater started dripping inside, leading to the collapse of the weakened hut wall, which fell on the boy.

Yashwanth was rushed to the area hospital in Srikalahasti town by the family and locals. However, doctors declared him dead on arrival.

Following this mishap, the local authorities surveyed the tribal colony and found 14 other huts to be in a precarious condition. They shifted these families to nearby relief shelters.

The incident has highlighted the alleged poor living conditions and vulnerability of tribal families in the region. The victim's father Srinu said he could not afford repairs to the dilapidated hut due to lack of earnings from employment in recent times.

The tribal colony residents urged the district administration to provide compensation to the grieving family and permanent concrete housing for the marginalized community under a government scheme.