Worker killed; three others hurt in freak accident

A 35-year-old man was crushed to death and three of his colleagues injured when a huge boulder came crashing down on a lorry inside a stone quarry in Tirusulam on Monday morning. Pallavaram police, who are investigating, gave the name of the victim as Madasamy of Tenkasi in Tirunelveli district.

They said mining of stones that was stopped in Quarry No. 1 in Tirusulam resumed on Monday morning after a gap of more than a week. There were five people in the lorry -- the driver and its owner in the front cabin and three workers perched in the rear.

The lorry had to climb down nearly 200 feet into the quarry to collect stones. It had barely travelled 50 feet when a huge boulder crashed onto the rear. Madasamy who was amongst the three workers came right under the boulder and died on the spot while the other two and the driver sustained injuries.

The accident took place around 6 a.m. The body was removed to Tambaram Taluk Government Hospital in Chromepet for post-mortem.

There are five stone quarries in operation at Tirusulam and a several stone crushing units. Loose layers of stone on top of the quarries can result in dangerous accidents.

The accident site is renowned to be one of the most hazardous spots in the quarry. Several workers have been killed during blasting of stones, crashing down of loose boulders and accidents involving overloaded lorries. There are hardly any safety precautionary measures in place and in the past, several trade unions and voluntary organisations have taken up the issue highlighting the risks and heath hazards to workers and their children. However, there has been little response from the government, a Tirusulam resident complained.