Prayagraj, May 3 (IANS) A 45-year-old labourer died after being buried under a mound of loose soil during sewer line excavation work at Kakraha Ghat in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj district on Sunday, officials said.

The deceased has been identified as Gaya Prasad, who was engaged in digging work at the site when the incident occurred. According to the police, the accident took place around 11 a.m. during an ongoing project linked to Ganga pollution control.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Nikita Srivastava said that information about the incident was received at Kareli police station, following which emergency teams were rushed to the spot.

“Today, around 11 a.m., information was received at Kareli police station that sewer work related to Ganga pollution control was underway, in which two labourers were engaged in digging soil. Due to the loose nature of the soil, one labourer got buried in it,” she said.

She further added that the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and the local police team immediately reached the site and launched a rescue operation.

“As soon as we received the information, the SDRF, NDRF, and the local police station team immediately reached the spot. Rescue operations were carried out with the help of two JCB machines, and the body has been recovered,” the ACP said.

Officials said that the rescue operation continued for several hours before the body of the trapped labourer was pulled out from beneath the mound of soil. The second labourer present at the site was reported to be safe.

Meanwhile, soon after news of the incident spread, a large number of local residents thronged the site, leading to a crowd gathering near the excavation area as rescue efforts were underway.

The incident has raised concerns over safety measures at construction and excavation sites, especially in areas with loose soil conditions. Authorities are expected to review the circumstances leading to the accident and assess whether adequate precautions were in place.

Further investigation is underway.

–IANS

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