Two suffocate to death after mud mound collapses in Farrukhnagar

According to police, at least 10-12 feet of digging work was already done with the help of heavy earth moving machines, but the workers had left the loose and wet soil along the edge of the pit. Police said two workers were still inside the well when the entire mound collapsed into the pit and trapped them

Two workers were suffocated to death after they were trapped beneath a mud mound that collapsed on them at Jaraun village in Farrukhnagar on Sunday evening, Gurugram police said on Monday.

Villagers gather at the spot where the accident took place. (HT Photo)

Police said the duo along with half a dozen other workers were involved in digging up a closed well when the accident took place.

According to police, at least 10-12 feet of digging work was already done with the help of heavy earth moving machines, but the workers had left the loose and wet soil along the edge of the pit.

Investigators said two workers were still inside the well when the entire mound collapsed into the pit and trapped them. The incident triggered panic among the workers and they raised the alarm.

Police said local residents swung into action and with the help of an earth moving machine and spades, the debris was carefully removed after which the two trapped workers were pulled out of the pit. Both of them were rushed to a primary health centre in Farrukhnagar, but doctors declared them dead.

Police said the deceased were identified as Rajender Kumar (52), of Siwari village in Farrukhnagar and Manoj Kumar (35), who hailed from Araria in Bihar. They said the well is situated on a plot of land owned by a villager identified as Manoj Yadav.

Inspector Jitender Singh, the station house officer of Farrukhnagar police station, said a written complaint was received from Rajender’s family members, but they have not suspected any foul play in the incident. “We have carried out an inquiry in the case under Section 174 of the CrPC. Rajender’s body was handed over to his family members after a post-mortem examination on Monday, while Manoj’s relatives are yet to reach Gurugram,” the SHO added.

Incidentally, this is the second such incident in Gurugram district in less than a month.

On June 13, three women workers were suffocated to death while four others were severely injured after a heap of mud fell upon them while they were engaged in digging a waterbody at Dararpur village in Pataudi.