CHENNAI: A 45-year-old migrant worker, who was involved in laying underground drainage pipe in a 20-foot pit near the Pallavaram radial road, was killed on Thursday after the side wall collapsed and a mound of mud caved in on him. He was working on a project of the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board.
The deceased, Theras Sarkar from Kolkata, was employed in a private company that provides manpower, said the police. “On Thursday morning, the sidewall in a small portion of the 200-m stretch where work is being undertaken collapsed and mud caved in on Sarkar,” said a police officer.
The other workers cleared the debris and rescued Sarkar. He was rushed to the Chromepet Government Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. The recent rains had loosened the soil and this could have led to the accident, said the police.
Sithalapakkam police registered a case and detained the supervisor of the manpower company. Sarkar has been working in the city on various projects for the past five years. Police said pipe laying work has been going on for a few months.