One dead, others feared trapped in quarry cave-in

CHENNAI: One worker died and at least six others are feared trapped after crushed stones caved in inside a stone quarry, in Kancheepuram district on Thursday morning. Some vehicles, including a compressor machine, trucks, an earthmover and a tractor were damaged in the incident. According to the police, the private quarry is operating in Madhur village near Thirumukoodal in Kancheepuram district.

“At 200 feet below ground level, huge rocks were blasted with dynamites a few days ago and the workers were involved in breaking them into small pieces,” said a police officer. On Thursday morning, the workers were breaking stones inside the premises when crushed stones caved in. Fellow workers tried to rescue Manikandan from Erode, but he died when he was pulled out from the debris.

His body was taken to the Kancheepuram Government Hospital for a post-mortem examination. The Kancheepuram police have picked up one person for inquiry. “We are investigating whether it is a legal quarry and if safety norms were violated,” the officer added.

The Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services personnel also rushed to the spot and are carrying out rescue work and searching for other trapped workers, if any. “One more migrant labourer who was critically injured is undergoing treatment,” said a police officer, adding that six other injured workers are also undergoing treatment.