Thiruvananthapuram: Four workers including a Keralite were killed and another injured when red earth caved in on a building site from a nearby hillock subjected to excavation at Pangappara near Sreekariyam here on Monday. The deceased were identified as Harnad Varman, 27; Bhajan Varman, 20, and Sopanbag, 25, from Coochbehar, WestBengal, and Unnikrishnan, 26, son Gopalakrishnan Nair of Vencode, Vattappara, in Thiruvananthapuram.
The injured was identified as Sudarshan, 45, of Vencode. The accident happened at a spot where a three-storey complex was being constructed by Ladders Kerala, a company run by Kerala Land Reforms and Development Cooperative Society. The workers were engaged in building retaining walls to protect the sliced-off portion of the hillock which was as tall as a four-storey building. The soil became loose after monsoon showers, and it came crashing on them around 2 pm. There were no temporary pillars placed diagonally to support the hillock.
It took nearly 45 minutes for excavators to reach the spot and the first body could be taken out only by 4 pm. The rescue efforts ended at 6 pm. Officials have directed residents of two buildings over the hillock to leave due to safety issues. Collector S. Venkatesapathy visited the injured at the hospital. The family of the West Bengal natives were informed of their death, and a criminal case has been registered against the builders.
