JOIN USTwo persons were killed and six injured after large pieces of rock fell on labourers working at a stone quarry at Marayimuttam in Parassala, about 30 km from Thiruvananthapuram, on Friday.
The deceased were identified as Sathish (29), driver of an earth-moving vehicle and a native of Salem in Tamil Nadu, and Binil Kumar (23) from Malakkulangara near Parassala.
The incident happened at about 10 am. The pieces of rock fell on the earth-mover, killing Sathish and leaving seven labourers trapped in the rubble.
Police, firemen and rescue services personnel, along with local residents and other labourers, rescued the injured workers and shifted them to hospitals.
Binil Kumar was brought dead to the Government Medical College Hospital (MCH) in Thiruvananthapuram. Reports said about 20 labourers were at work at the quarry site when the incident happened.
Of the three men who are undergoing treatment at the MCH, two have sustained serious leg injuries. Three others have been admitted to the Neyyattinkara General Hospital.
Residents of the area said the quarry was functioning without the mandatory licences. The district administration has directed the owner of the quarry to stop work at the site. Functioning of other allegedly illegal quarries in the region will also be probed.