Six workers employed in a stone quarry were trapped in a pit more than 300-feet deep after boulders came rolling down at a quarry in Tamil Nadu's Tirunelveli district. The accident took place on Saturday, May 14, nearly at midnight, at Adaimidhippankulam hamlet near Munnerpallam. So far three of the workers have been rescued and efforts are underway to safely extract three others.
The workers trapped in the accident are Murugan, Vijay, Selvam, Murugan, Rajendran and Selvakumar. Selvam, Vijay and Murugan have been rescued.
Chief Minister MK Stalin has directed the Minister for Backward Classes Welfare RS Rajakannappan to supervise the rescue operations. In a statement put out earlier today, the Chief Minister said that steps have been taken to rescue those trapped, including roping in the services of members of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) stationed at Arakkonam to help the Fire and Rescue Services. The first two workers who were rescued have been admitted to a government hospital in the district. Stalin further said that suitable action would be taken after an inquiry into the incident and that Rs 1 lakh would be released from the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund to the injured. Stalin also said that he is deeply saddened by the incident.
திருநெல்வேலி மாவட்டம், பாளையம்கோட்டை வட்டம், தருவை கிராமம், அடைமிதிப்பான்குளம் கல்குவாரியில் ஏற்பட்ட விபத்தில் காயமுற்றவர்களுக்கு ஆறுதல் மற்றும் நிவாரண உதவிகளை மாண்புமிகு முதலமைச்சர் @mkstalin அவர்கள் அறிவித்துள்ளார். pic.twitter.com/tlZGnXpdvM
— CMOTamilNadu (@CMOTamilnadu) May 15, 2022
District Collector V Vishnu and Superintendent of Police P Saravanan are monitoring the rescue work. The Collector told PTI that the private stone quarry received its licence in 2018 and was supposed to renew it in 2023. “The mishap occurred around 11.30 pm on Saturday night and it is assumed to be due to a landslide,” he said, adding that the help of Defense helicopters were sought but the choppers were eventually not brought in due to unfavourable conditions.
This is a developing story.
With inputs from PTI and IANS