BENGALURU: A labourer carrying out work for the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) died when he fell into an open stormwater drain while working in Rajarajeshwari Nagar, here on Wednesday.
Madiwalappa Gowda (26), the victim, is survived by his wife and two-year-old son. The incident occurred around 4.30 pm near Padmavathy temple. According to sources, his body sank deep into the drain, and rescue personnel were still trying to recover the body until 9 pm.
According to Assistant Executive Engineer for RR Nagar Sneha V, Gowda and another worker climbed down near the mouth of the drain to repair a blockade in the newly-laid sanitary pipeline. “When they climbed down, the soil at the location was very loose and immediately caved in,” Sneha said. The other worker ran away from the spot in fear.
A police official at the spot said, “By the time help arrived, the worker in the drain had choked to death. We are now trying to recover his body from the silt.”
Relatives of the deceased blamed the BWSSB for the incident and protested against them at the site of the accident. Neelamma, the distraught sister of Gowda’s wife, said the victim was a native of Bijapur and had been working for three days.
Sneha said the BWSSB would help the relatives claim insurance, as lives of all workers had been insured by the contractor concerned.