Two guest labourers killed as earth caves in

Two guest labourers sustained serious injuries as earth caved in on them at a private construction site near the Kozhikode railway station on Monday. This is the second incident in the city within a week and said to be due to the poor safety arrangements taken by the contractors at the work site.

Disaster Management officials who reached the spot for inspection confirmed that there were serious violations on the part of the construction team. They said there was no safety valve at the site to ensure the safety of labourers in case earth caved in.

Deputy Collector (Disaster Management) P.P. Krishnankutty said he would submit a report to the District Collector citing all the flaws at the construction site. There was clear instruction to the contracting team to comply with the security parameters, he said.

Officials of the Department of Mining and Geology also inspected the site. They said the construction team had removed large quantity of soil in excess of the permitted quantity. There was serious violation and legal action would be recommended, they said.

Two guest labourers were killed in a similar accident at Chinthavalappu in the city last Thursday. The Bihar natives — Kismat, 30, and Jabbar, 35 — met with the accident while they were digging a trench to install lifts. Three others had sustained injuries in the accident.

The latest incident has come close on the heels of the District Collector's order to all local bodies to inspect various construction sites and check the contractors’ compliance with the security guidelines.