7 Killed, 5 Injured As Boulder Slips And Rolls Down At a Quarry In South Bengaluru
Injured persons have been identified as Chotu, Gulab Singh, Anand, Nohar Singh and the identity of a labourer in serious condition and undergoing treatment in ICU ward was not established immediately
BENGALURU: Seven labourers were killed and five others injured after a boulder rolled down at a quarry in Madapatna of Magadi taluk in Bengaluru South district on Thursday morning.
The incident occurred around 7.30 am at Kaveri Quarry when a large boulder slipped from a height and fell on labourers working in a low-lying area. Some workers managed to escape.
Preliminary reports indicated that activity at a neighbouring quarry may have disturbed the boulder. Labourers there were using machinery when soil loosened, causing a boulder in the adjacent Kaveri Quarry to dislodge and roll down.
Officials said the workers had little time to react before the boulder struck, killing seven labourers on the spot. The bodies trapped under the boulder were later retrieved.
The deceased were identified as Ram Naik (Karnataka), Dharmesh Singh (Chhattisgarh), Satyanarayan Gond (Madhya Pradesh), Bhuvenshwar Singh (Madhya Pradesh), Rajendra Prasad Choudhary (Madhya Pradesh), Rajesh Prasad (Madhya Pradesh) and Shivraj Singh (Madhya Pradesh).
The injured, identified as Chotu, Gulab Singh, Anand and Nohar Singh, along with another labourer whose identity was not immediately known, were admitted to hospital with serious injuries.
An eyewitness said, “Had labourers working in the neighbouring quarry had been alerted that they were disturbing the stones at their site, we would have initiated precautionary measures at our quarry site and the tragedy could have been averted.”
Former minister and Yeshwanthpura MLA S.T. Somashekar alleged that prior concerns had been raised with authorities. He demanded registration of an FIR against officials of the Mines and Geology department, forest officials, Pollution Control Board officials and the local police.
An official from the mines and geology department said quarrying activities in the area have been suspended following the incident.
Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said no blasting had taken place at the quarry and that a report has been sought to ascertain whether operations were conducted in accordance with rules.
