PATHANAMTHITTA: A worker died and another remained trapped following a massive rockfall at a quarry in Payyanamon near Konni, Pathanamthitta, on Monday.
Mahadev Pradhan, 51, of Odisha, and Ajay Kumar Rai, 38, from Bihar were reportedly operating an excavator at the granite quarry when a huge rock dislodged and fell on the machine, burying them under the rubble. The excavator was crushed under the impact.
The rescue team later recovered the body of Pradhan, while Rai remains trapped under large boulders.
The rescue efforts were called off by evening due to adverse weather and a second rockfall, which posed danger to rescue personnel. Officials said the search operation — with police, fire and rescue services and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel joining hands — will resume at 7am on Tuesday.
The accident occurred deep within the quarry, causing a significant delay in alerting authorities. Also, the rescue efforts were severely hampered by the massive size of the boulders and the unstable terrain.
Pathanamthitta Collector S Prem Krishnan, who was supervising the rescue efforts, had to be moved from the site after another rockfall struck the area.
According to Fire and Rescue Services officials, they were alerted about the incident around 3.20pm and reached the site within 20 minutes. However, as the accident site was inaccessible, it took another hour to set up rescue equipment and ropes to safely descend into the quarry pit. Rescue personnel managed to rescue two other machine operators, who were stranded near the collapse zone, an official said. The team also recovered a body from the site.
NDRF personnel were called in for rescue efforts and they reached by 7pm. Meanwhile, the collector has directed that the quarry operation be shut till further orders.
‘Geology dept licence expired recently’
A ban has also been imposed against entering the quarry, except officials and rescue personnel.
Meanwhile, environmentalists and local residents have accused the operators of repeatedly violating environmental and occupational safety norms. According to the local ward member, the quarry has been operating for several years, but its licence issued by the geology department expired recently. “The quarry owners reportedly delayed informing emergency services, attempting to conduct the initial rescue on their own,” said a resident.
Though located in a remote area bordering forest land, the quarry is located close to densely populated hill settlements. The owners of the quarry were unavailable for comment.