Rajasthan: Soil caves in during pipeline excavation work; 4 workers dead

Jaipur: Four labourers died and three got injured after soil caved in during pipeline excavation work in Rajasthan's Bharatpur on Sunday morning, police said.

According to the police, some labourers were filling a 10 feet deep trench dug to lay a pipeline near Jangi ka Nagla village when the soil caved in and the labourers got trapped underneath.

Upon hearing the cries, other workers and project staff started rescue attempts, but the depth and heaviness of the soil made immediate efforts difficult, they said.

District administration, police and disaster management teams reached the site soon after being alerted. The rescue teams used earthmoving machines to remove soil and retrieve the trapped labourers.

They managed to pull out seven labourers, four of whom -- Anukul (22), Vimla Devi (45), Vinod Devi (55) and Yogesh Kumari (25) -- died.

One injures was given primary treatment and two are admitted at the district hospital.

There were 12 labourers working at the site. When the soil caved it, some managed to quickly come out while seven were trapped, the police said, adding that rescue operation was over.