Gurugram: 3 women labourers dead, four injured after mud sinks at pond site

Around 10:30am on Tuesday, a five-foot-high mound caved in while digging, trapping at least seven of them out of which three succumbed to their injuries

In a tragic incident, three women labourers died while four others sustained injuries after the mound, they were digging for a pond caved in near Pataudi village, around 44 kms from Gurugram, on Tuesday, police said.

Police said the other injured women are critical and admitted in the ICU ward. (HT photo)

The women were working at the site for the past six months under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme.

Around 10:30am on Tuesday, a five-foot-high mound caved in while digging, trapping at least seven of them.

According to the local administration, the digging at the bottom had made the mound unstable.

Harinder Kumar, assistant commissioner of police (Pataudi), said that one woman had a narrow escape, and she ran towards the other direction as she was unhurt.

“She raised an alarm after which locals reached the spot and called the police. A team from Pataudi police station was sent to the spot and the women were pulled out,” he said.

Kumar said the women were taken to a nearby hospital where three were declared brought dead while three were referred to Gurugram’s Civil hospital.

“One of them is admitted in Pataudi hospital but is out of danger,” he said.

Police said the other injured women are critical and admitted in the ICU ward.

According to the district officials, it was a government site where they were digging a pond and it was 500 metres away from the village where only eight women were working for the last six months.

Sandeep Aggarwal, sub-divisional magistrate of Pataudi, said preliminary investigations revealed that women started digging at the bottom which destabilised the mound.

“The administration teams are conducting investigation and the administration has deployed a team at the spot to prepare a report of the incident,” he said.

The deceased women were identified, and police said they have informed the family members.

Police added that they will register a case under relevant sections after recording their statements.