Raipur, May 12 Three labourers were killed in an accident on Tuesday in Rajhara town, located in the Balod district of Chhattisgarh.
The tragedy occurred during an ongoing project to lay pipes for the Bhilai Steel Plant sewerage line near the busy “Das Pan Thela Chowk”.
The victims, who were working deep inside an excavation pit, were buried alive when a sudden landslide caused the surrounding earth to collapse upon them.
The labourers were working in a trench approximately 10 feet deep. As they were positioning the heavy sewerage pipes, the surrounding soil walls suddenly caved in, trapping them under a massive pile of earth.
The impact and the weight of the falling debris were so severe that all three individuals reportedly died on the spot before any immediate help could reach them, police officials said.
The deceased have been identified as Kishun Kumar and Rakesh Kumar.
A female labourer named Baishakhin was also among those who lost their lives in the unfortunate incident.
Another labourer is reportedly feared trapped under debris, but police have not confirmed this yet.
As news of the collapse spread, a sense of shock and mourning gripped the local community and the nearby residential areas.
Upon receiving information about the accident, personnel from the local police department and municipal authorities rushed to the scene to initiate a rescue operation.
Using specialised equipment, the teams worked to clear the fallen soil and safely recover the bodies from the pit.
The remains of the three victims were subsequently transported for further legal formalities and post-mortem examinations.
Police have sent the bodies of the labourers for post-mortem examinations.
Local authorities are expected to provide financial assistance to the deceased's next of kin and to investigate whether adequate shoring or protective measures were in place to prevent such a soil collapse.
Work on the sewerage line project has been temporarily halted following the accident.
--IANS
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