Labourers digging pit buried alive, 1 dead

A labourer got buried alive while digging up earth for laying sewage line after a chunk of soil mounded in the pit he was in at Bhattian village near Jalandhar bypass on Thursday morning. Two others were rescued by the locals.

A labourer got buried alive while digging up earth for laying sewage line after a chunk of soil mounded in the pit he was in at Bhattian village near Jalandhar bypass on Thursday morning. Two others were rescued by the locals.

According to locals, seepage in water pipes had softened the soil which made the mound fall into the pit which the labourers were digging. (HT PHOTO)

The rescued labourers were rushed to a private hospital. They are said to be stable.

According to locals, seepage in water pipes had softened the soil which made the mound fall into the pit which the labourers were digging.

The deceased has been identified as Nasir Mohammad, 18. The others, who were rescued, are Ramesh and Modin.

As the area falls outside the municipal corporation (MC) limit, the work was being carried out by the village panchayat through a private contractor, Jagdish Gill, who is said to be absconding. The police have registered a case against the contractor.

Eyewitnesses said the labourers started their work at 9 am, and as their work was being hindered by the seepage from underground pipes, they started repairing it, following which the mishap took place.

Assistant commissioner of police (ACP, Sadar) Gurpreet Kaur Purewal said a case under Sections 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 304-A (causing death due to negligence) has been registered against the contractor on the compliant of Qamil, the deceased’s brother.

The locals said the labourers were working without safety gears.