THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The World Environment Day took a ghastly turn as four workers, including three migrant workers, were killed when earth caved in on them at a construction site in Pangappara, Thiruvananthapuram, on Monday.
Officers of the Fire and Rescue Services Department said rain made the soil run loose on the side of a pit dug to lay the foundation of a 19-storeyed building.
The deceased are: Unnikrishnan, 26, KU Sadanam, Vengode, Vattappara, T’Puram, Harnad, Sapan Burman, 29 and Bhajan, 21, from Cooch Behar, West Bengal. Sudarshan, 45, a native of Vengode, sustained serious injuries and is under treatment at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital. He has a fractured leg, a hospital spokesperson said.
Fire and Rescue Services officers said the accident occurred at the construction site of the Kerala Land Reforms and Development Cooperative Society. The construction of a protective wall was in progress when the soil collapsed. At the time, 11 men were working on the site. After the workers raised the alarm, the Fire and Rescue Service and police personnel effected a rescue operation.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan instructed District Collector S Venkatesapathy to investigate the incident and submit a report. He has also asked the authorities to transfer the bodies of the migrant workers to their native state.
Mayor V K Prasanth said the authorities were checking whether construction was being carried out with the required permit. BJP national executive committee member V Muraleedharan, ADGP B Sandhya and IG (Thiruvananthapuram Range) Manoj Abraham also visited the site.