Labourer killed in mishap, 3 survive

A labourer was washed away when a water pipeline (next to which he was working) damaged and burst, while the work on connecting UGD pipes was in progress, at Simon Lane, in Nagori, on Saturday. Three others labourers who were at work were rescued.  

According to the police, the deceased has been identified as Raju (29) from Andhra Pradesh.

Raju and three other workers namely Ramesh, Venkatesh and Bhaskar, all from Andhra Pradesh were working on connecting the UGD as a part of ADB funded Kudcemp project. At the same time, another worker who was digging with a JCB earthmover nearby accidentally damaged the water pipeline, resulting in the gushing of water.

As the water started to gush in, all the four workers were caught unawares. While three managed to survive, one went missing, said the locals.

“Though others tried to rescue Raju, all their efforts went in vain. Raju died of asphyxiation,” they added.

Though the incident occured at 3 pm, the fire and police personnel manage to trace the body Raju only after two hours. As a large number of people had gathered at the spot, where rescue operation was in progress, there was disruption in the movement of vehicles on highway for a long time.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, corporator Jacintha Boromeo who visited the spot said that work on connecting the UGD pipes has been going on since Monday.
Mangalore City Corporation  Commissioner Dr Harish Kumar said that Sriram Company was given the contract to connect the pipes to UGD. “We have already intimated the police and KUDCEMP Managing Director on the mishap,” he said.