Seven migrant labourers, including five from Madhya Pradesh were killed and five others were injured after a massive rock slid down from a hillside and crashed into a stone quarry on the outskirts of Bengaluru on Thursday, with the state government ordering an inquiry into the incident to determine whether the quarry was operating in accordance with mining and safety regulations.
Police said the accident took place at the Kaveri Crusher quarry near Madapatna village in Bengaluru South taluk. Police, fire and rescue teams, along with officials from the Department of Mines and Geology, rushed to the spot and launched rescue operations using heavy machinery to clear debris and recover the bodies.
The deceased have been identified as Ram Naik from Karnataka’s Yadgir district, Dharmesh Singh from Chhattisgarh, and Satyanarayan Gond, Bhuvenshwar Singh, Rajendra Prasad Choudhary, Rajesh Prasad and Shivraj Singh, all from Madhya Pradesh. Those injured include Chotu, Gulab Singh, Anand, Nohar Singh and another labourer whose identity is yet to be established, police said. Deputy inspector general of police S Girish said two adjoining crushers were operating at different levels and around 16 labourers were working when the accident took place. Officials are examining whether activity at the adjacent quarry destabilised the slope.
“There are two crushers here – one is on the top and the second one is below. Work was going on at both sites. A drilling machine was deployed on the top. A massive rock slid from the top and fell on the people working below. Seven people died on the spot, five were wounded while four others working on the site escaped unhurt,” Girish was quoted as saying by PTI.
{{/usCountry}}“There are two crushers here – one is on the top and the second one is below. Work was going on at both sites. A drilling machine was deployed on the top. A massive rock slid from the top and fell on the people working below. Seven people died on the spot, five were wounded while four others working on the site escaped unhurt,” Girish was quoted as saying by PTI.
{{/usCountry}}According to preliminary reports, heavy machinery operating at the adjacent quarry may have loosened the soil and rocks, causing the boulder to roll downhill, police said. “It is very obvious that there was negligence,” Girish added.
Parashuram, an excavator operator who witnessed the collapse, said the workers had no time to escape. “It took only a few seconds before one side of the hill collapsed. The workers had no time to react,” he said.
Chief minister DK Shivakumar said initial reports suggested the tragedy was not caused by blasting but by soil erosion. He said the government would determine whether the quarry was operating legally and whether prescribed safety norms had been followed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences. “Pained to hear about the loss of lives due to a mishap in a stone quarry in Bengaluru. I extend my deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured,” he wrote on X.
President Droupadi Murmu also wrote on X: “...My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured.”