As many as seven workers attached to a stone quarry in Bengaluru lost their lives, while five others sustained grievous injuries as a massive boulder collapsed onto them on Thursday, the police said. According to police, the incident transpired at Madapattana village, where excavation work was underway at a quarry operated by Kaveri Company.
Rescue teams rushed to the scene on receipt of the information, launched an extensive search operation and began retrieving the labourers trapped beneath tonnes of rock and debris. Several labourers were rescued successfully, while senior officials supervised the operation and took stock of the situation on the spot.
A visual from the spot
The incident has once again put the spotlight on safety standards at quarrying sites, and the Karnataka Government promised an in-depth probe and fresh guidelines to prevent similar incidents.
Boulder fell from 40 feet during excavation
As per preliminary reports, excavation work was underway by means of an excavator at the top of a quarry when a massive boulder became dislodged and crashed onto workers engaged in operations below.
One of the labourers told news agency PTI that close to 18 workers were present at the quarry when the incident occurred. He added that an enormous rock fell from an estimated height of 40 feet, leaving several workers buried under the debris within seconds.
The cops and emergency response teams plunged into action soon after rushing to the site, after receiving information about the collapse. Rescue and recovery efforts were launched, and continued for several hours as authorities worked to locate and evacuate the ones trapped beneath the rubble.
Representative image
Officials are now trying to ascertain the circumstances which led to the collapse and are examining whether all prescribed safety norms were being adhered to at the site.
Victims hailed from MP, Chhattisgarh
The workers, according to authorities, were native residents of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Efforts are on to inform the families of the ones who died and to provide assistance to the injured ones.
The condition of the injured workers is being watched closely, while officials continue to gather details regarding the identities of all affected.
Govt orders probe
Karnataka Chief Minister (CM) DK Shivakumar reacted to the incident, saying that officials had reached the spot immediately after the tragedy and were preparing a comprehensive report.
He said that according to preliminary findings, the tragedy was not caused by blasting operations but was linked to soil erosion at the quarry. He went on to say that the government would thoroughly examine whether quarrying activities were being conducted in accordance with existing regulations.