KOZHIKODE: Two migrant labourers died and another was injured when earth caved in at the construction site of a private school near Pantheerankavu bypass here on Thursday. The deceased were identified as Niti Haldar, 21 and Juval Mondal, 22, both hailing from West Bengal.
The injured, Prasan Haldar, 21 has been admitted to the Kozhikode Medical College hospital. Eyewitnesses said the incident occurred around 11 am.
Officials said that several labourers were engaged in piling works at the site using earth-remover when earth caved in on them from above. Both Niti and Juval were completely buried in the mud.
The body of Juval was recovered 45 minutes after the mishap and that of Niti around 2 pm.
Prasan was saved by the other workers after his legs got buried in the mud. The rest of the work force ran to safety after seeing the caving-in of earth.
Police officials said that the construction of the school building had been going on for the past three months and the majority of the workers were from West Bengal.
Meanwhile, local residents alleged that the indiscriminate removal of earth from the area has resulted in the unfortunate incident.
Complaints Lodged
They also alleged that even after registering complaints with the Olvanna panchayat against the removal of earth, the authorities failed to check the illegal actions of the private firm.
Following the incident, District Collector C A Latha has issued a stop memo to the party concerned. The Nallalam police have registered a case.