West Bengal, 25 May (H.S.): A six-year-old girl died in a tragic accident after a high-mast light fixture fell from a lamp post in the Hastings area of Kolkata on Monday morning.

The deceased, identified as Gudiya Khatun, lived with her family beneath the Hastings flyover. According to local residents, she was playing near the flyover, as usual, when a heavy light unit attached to a high-mast pole suddenly broke loose and fell on her.

The incident reportedly took place between 7 am and 7:10 am. Gudiya suffered severe head injuries in the accident. Family members and locals rushed her to SSKM Hospital, where doctors declared her dead.

The victim’s family alleged gross negligence in the maintenance of the lighting structure. According to relatives and eyewitnesses, the light fixture is normally secured with four nuts, but only one nut was found at the spot after the accident. They alleged that the remaining nuts were missing, causing the light to detach and crash onto the road.

Gudiya’s father, a daily wage labourer, said he rushed to the spot after receiving the news from relatives and found his daughter lying in a pool of blood with serious head injuries.

Police have started an investigation into the incident. Preliminary suspicion points towards lack of proper maintenance of the high-mast lighting system.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey