Two persons were killed and seven others injured when a portion of a privately-owned granite quarry caved in at Marayamuttam, near Neyyattinkara, on Friday morning. The deceased have been identified as Satheesh, 28, from Salem, who was driving the earth mover and Binil Kumar, 23, from Malakulangara, a worker at the quarry.
According to the local people, the tragedy occurred around 10 a.m., soon after the day’s work started. Around 20 labourers were at the site at the time. A large piece of granite from about a height of 70 feet fell on top of the earth mover and the workers who were standing nearby. Satheesh died on the spot.
Seven workers were caught under the collapsed rocks. Local police and Fire and Rescue Services personnel rescued them with the help of local people.
Binil Kumar was brought dead to Government Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram.
Three workers, Sudhin, 23, from Marayamuttam, Aji, 45, from Vellarada and Vijil, 47, from Memala, have sustained serious injuries to their legs. Emergency surgery was carried out on all three of them. Aji’s left leg was severed, as blood flow had ceased.
Health Minister K.K. Shyalaja had issued instructions to the hospital authorities to provide free treatment to all of them. Four others have been admitted to the Taluk Hospital in Neyyattinkara.
The Marayamuttam police has registered a case against the quarry owner, Aswathi Constructions, and Alosyius, who is running the quarry on lease, under Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) and Section 3 and 4 of the Explosive Substances Act.
‘No licence’
Parassala MLA C.K. Hareendran and District Collector K.Vasuki, who rushed to the spot soon after the accident, were confronted by angry local people, who claimed that their complaints regarding illegal quarries in the region had fallen on deaf ears. According to the Collector, the quarry was being run without licence.
Stop memo soon
The Collector later visited the quarry and the houses which were allegedly damaged due to work in the adjacent quarries.
Even though the Collector said that a stop memo would be immediately issued to Mr. Alosyius’s quarry, local people demanded that work on all the four quarries in the area be stopped.
“Any action on the rest of the quarries can be taken only after conducting a detailed study and discussions,” said the Collector.
