3 killed, 1 injured as soil caves in pit

Three labourers were killed and one suffered serious injuries when soil caved inside the pits they were digging for constructing pillars of a building belonging to a temple at Odiyoor in Bantwal taluk on Saturday evening.

According to Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police B M Laxmi Prasad, the labourers who died after being trapped in the pits were identified as Balappa Naik, a resident of Alangaru, Prakash, a resident of Manila and Ramesh, a resident of Vitlapadnooru. The injured labourer Prabhakar, is a resident of Kuthar.

Eyewitness told police that the land was being leveled for constructing a building belonging to Odiyoor Shree Gurudevadatta Samsthanam. The excavator had cleared the hillock for constructing the building. After digging the pits for constructing the pillars of the building, the labourers had entered the pits for levelling the land, when the soil caved in claiming three lives.

The injured labourers were rushed to K S Hegde Hospital in Deralakatte for treatment. Vittal police registered a case and investigation is on.