- विज्ञापन -
Pathanamthitta (Kerala): The rescue effort to save a worker trapped under rocks after a landslide at a quarry in Payyanamon near Konni began Tuesday morning, following a halt the previous day due to fresh landslides. The incident resulted in the death of one worker, while another remains buried beneath the debris.
On Tuesday, four members of a specialized rescue team descended using ropes close to the site to inspect the excavator believed to contain the trapped worker. They removed some smaller rocks manually from on top of the excavator before safely climbing back up. The team aims to identify points where ropes can be attached to extract the equipment and the worker.
District Collector Prem Krishnan explained that efforts are underway to retrieve the excavator with a 30-tonne crane from Karunagappally, and as a backup plan, a large Hitachi machinery is also being brought from Alappuzha to assist in clearing the rocks. He noted that due to the large rocks covering the excavator, it’s uncertain whether anyone is inside the cabin, and ongoing falling debris has limited manual rescue operations, prompting a shift to machine-assisted efforts.
The accident occurred when a section of rock and soil suddenly collapsed onto the excavator during quarrying activities. Inside the machine at the time were two workers from Odisha, Mahadev and Ajay Rai. While one body has been recovered, the identity of the victim is yet to be confirmed.
The workers had just finished their lunch shift when the collapse happened. A 27-member specialized team from the National Disaster Response Force, led by Commander Sanjay Singh Malsuni, arrived from Thiruvalla to assist with the rescue mission.
