Jaipur, May 28 (IANS) A few days after a retired principal died after falling into an open drain, a tragic accident occurred on Thursday night, claiming the lives of two railway engineers after a sudden mudslide buried them under debris in Kota district.

The accident was reported during the construction of a railway underpass in the Dara Valley area on the Kota–Jhalawar Highway. The incident took place around 8 p.m. during block-pushing work on the down line of the Delhi–Mumbai railway route.

According to railway officials, soil beneath the track suddenly collapsed, trapping Section Engineer (CWI) Sanjay Kumar Jha and Junior Engineer Prabhat Singh under mud and triggering panic at the site.

Workers and rescue personnel immediately began efforts to pull the engineers from the debris and rushed them to a private hospital in Kota.

Doctors declared Sanjay Kumar Jha dead on arrival, while Junior Engineer Prabhat Singh, who was administered CPR, succumbed to his injuries during treatment.

The bodies were later shifted to the MBS Hospital mortuary for post-mortem examination.

The accident occurred during excavation work for the installation of large cement box structures beneath the railway track as part of the underpass construction project in Dara Valley.

Following the incident, construction work was temporarily suspended.

Senior railway, police, and administrative officials rushed to the site after receiving information about the mishap.

Rural SP Sujit Shankar, Rural ASP Ram Kalyan Meena, DSP Ghanshyam Meena, along with local administrative officers and police personnel, inspected the area and reviewed relief and security arrangements.

Officials remained at the site till late at night.

As a precautionary measure, the underpass has been closed from both sides while authorities investigate the cause of the accident.

Railway traffic on both the up and down lines of the Delhi–Mumbai route was operated at restricted speeds below 30 km per hour following the incident.

A few days back, a school principal who retired just two months ago died after falling into an open drain, raising serious questions about safety measures in ongoing civic projects.

–IANS

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