COIMBATORE: Three migrant labourers were buried alive in a landslip while digging soil for construction work at Othanatty village near Coonoor in the Nilgiris on Saturday. The three perished when a portion of the earth caved in on them. Police have booked the property owner and the contractor following the incident.
Police have identified the deceased as Nagibul Haque (31), Abdul Rahman (24) and Hahil S K (37), who hailed from Kolkata.
The tragic incident occurred at a site where earthwork has been going on for the past few days to construct a house. The site belongs to a resident, Muthukrishnan.
Since the land is located in a low-lying slope, soil excavation work was being carried out to build a retaining wall up to 40 feet in height.
Around 3 pm on Saturday, five workers, including the three, started the work after the lunch break. While digging, suddenly the earth caved in from a height of 40 feet, burying the three alive. Two workers managed to escape. The workers and locals alerted the police and fire safety department, and tried to rescue the trapped man.
Revenue department officials, Fire Safety and Rescue personnel and Army personnel rushed to the spot and initiated rescue operations. “Rahman was rescued alive and provided first aid. He was rushed to Coonoor Government Hospital with ventilator support. But he died before reaching the hospital,” police sources said.
As it was difficult to continue rescue operations for the other two persons, the team used an earth mover and retrieved their bodies.
Aruvankadu police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the incident. The bodies were sent to Coonoor Government Hospital for postmortem.
The property owner, K Muthukrishnan (56), and the contractor, Martin (47), were booked under sections 290 and 106(1) of the BNS. Police have initiated the arrest process, said sources.
In areas under Jagathala Town Panchayat in Coonoor, a large number of buildings have been illegally constructed in violation of rules over the past few months. Following this incident, the officials said that the Nilgiris district administration has also initiated a detailed probe into the illegal constructions that trigger soil erosion and landslides.