BENGALURU: Two labourers died while three others, including an engineer, sustained injuries after a heap of mud caved in on them at Kaithota village near Immadihalli in Whitefield police station limits on Sunday morning.
The deceased have been identified as Akhilesh (20) and Sandeep (21), both natives of Uttar Pradesh. Engineer Umashankar (35) and two other labourers were injured and the condition of Umashankar is said to be critical.
According to the police, the works of the state government’s ambitious Koramangala-Challaghatta Valley (KC Valley) project, under which sewage water of Koramangala and Challaghatta valleys is treated and sent to the parched tanks of Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts through pipelines, were under progress at Kaithota village. As part of the work, earth movers were used and they had dug about 10 feet to install huge pipes. Around 10 workers were standing below and welding pipes.
“Around 11.30 am, a heap of mud caved in on the workers. Some of the workers were inside the pipes and they escaped. But Akhilesh, Sandeep, Umashankar and two others got buried under the mud. Other workers rushed to their rescue and managed to pull out three people, including engineer Umashankar. Though the rescue personnel of the fire and emergency services department resumed operations immediately, Akhilesh and Sandeep were dead by the time they were brought out,” the police said, adding that all the workers were from other states and were living in makeshift sheds. The Whitefield police have registered a case in this connection and further investigation is on.