Landslide - Asia - India

At least two labourers were killed while another was injured when heavy rainfall triggered a landslide at a mine in Rajasthan’s Sikar on Tuesday night, officials said.<br />“The mine was about 300-feet deep. The incident happened at around 8pm, following which officials and the rescue team reached the spot. At around 3am on Wednesday, the bodies of two labourers were retrieved while another was found in a critical state,” Patan station house officer Vikram Singh said.<br />According to the officials, the landslide happened when a huge rock above the mines collapsed due to heavy rainfall.<br />“The two deceased — Laxman Singh (45), a native of Neem-Ka-Thana and Surendra Singh (35), a native of Uttar Pradesh — were working in a dumper while the injured Nitish Yadav (28), a native of Bihar, was operating a porcelain machine at the time of the landslide. After the incident, they got stuck in the vehicles under the debris,” Singh said.<br />However, three other labourers who were working in the mines managed to escape.<br />The police, local SDM, civil defence team and SDRF rushed to the spot and carried out the rescue operation which lasted for more than seven hours.<br />Officials said the families of the labourers alleged that they were made to work in the mines during heavy rains without proper safety measures. “No FIR has been lodged yet. But we have informed the district administration about the matter…they will probe it,” said SHO.<br />Meanwhile, the assistant engineer of the mines department in Sikar, Ashok Kumar, said, “Working in the mines during rains is often permitted. But it is given only considering the proper safety measures provided in the certain mines. We are probing the matter. Necessary action will be taken against those responsible.”