One labourer dead, two feared trapped after soil cave-in in Chhattisgarh's Balod

Balod (Chhattisgarh) [India], May 13 : One labourer was killed while two others are feared trapped after soil caved in during sewage pipeline work in Chhattisgarh's Balod district on Tuesday evening.

According to officials, the Balod incident occurred in Dalli Rajhara between 5 pm and 5:30 pm when labourers were engaged in laying sewage pipes, and the surrounding soil suddenly collapsed.

City Superintendent of Police Vikas Patle said that rescue teams were immediately rushed to the spot after receiving information about the mishap.

"We have received reports regarding the deaths of labourers working in Dalli Rajhara, where the soil caved in around 5:00-5:30 PM while they were laying sewage pipes. We have recovered one body. It is suspected that two more labourers remain trapped beneath the debris. A rescue operation is currently underway," Patle told reporters.

Police and rescue personnel are continuing efforts to remove the debris and trace the missing workers.

Further details are awaited.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident in Chhattisgarh, four people died after a massive fire broke out at a house in Ward 4 under the Kumhari police station area of Durg district on Tuesday.

Durg SP Vijay Agrawal said the exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained and an investigation has been launched.

"Four people have died, their panchnama will be conducted, and postmortem will be carried out. The police will investigate the reasons behind this incident. The FSL team is here. Whatever conclusions they draw will be included in the investigation," Agrawal told reporters.

Chhattisgarh Health Minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal expressed grief over the deaths and announced compensation of Rs 36 lakh for the families of the deceased.

He said the affected families would receive Rs 20 lakh at the rate of Rs 5 lakh per person, along with Rs 16 lakh under the Revenue Book Circular (RBC) 6-4 provisions.

Further investigation into the fire is underway.

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