Three-year-old dead after monkey ‘pushed’ boulder off roof

A three-year-old boy in India has been killed by a boulder that a monkey reportedly pushed off a roof onto the small child below.

Locals in the village of Katukuri in Akkannapet said young Devunuri Abhinav was playing outside his house when monkeys were jumping on the roof and the boulder fell on his head, reports English-language Indian newspaper Telangana Today.

The tragedy came only six months after the child had a near-death experience when he fell on a knife that pierced his throat, according to local media.

Devunuri’s parents were reported to have paid more than $8800 for lifesaving surgery and the three-year-old had almost made a full recovery when he was killed by the monkeys.

Local residents were said to have complained of suffering “in many ways” because of the monkeys for a long time and demanded action from authorities.

There has been a series of deaths caused by monkeys in India in recent years, including children.

Early last year, a five-year-old girl was killed by a troop of monkeys in the Bareilly district.

Times of India reported the girl was playing with her friends near a river when the monkeys attacked the children.

In 2020, a thirteen-year-old girl died after being chased off the roof of her own house by monkeys in Muzaffarnagar district.

Reports said the young teen was chased while collecting her laundry.

A baby was killed by another monkey in the same district the year before. The monkey dropped a stone on the four-month-old boy’s head.