Two workers buried alive in Sattur

They were inside 12-foot-deep trench dug up to lay underground drainage pipe

Two workers from Chinnasalem in Kallakurichi district - K. Krishnamoorthi, 50, N. Sakthivel, 38, - were killed after they were buried alive inside 12-foot-deep trench as soil caved in while they were taking up underground drainage work in Sattur in the early hours of Sunday.

The bodies have been taken to Virudhunagar Government Medical College hospital.

According to the police, six workers had taken up the work of laying pipelines to connect manholes of the underground drainage system late in the night at the Irukkangudi Road junction near Sattur town police station.

"Since, this is a very busy junction, the road cannot be dug up during the day time and hence the work was scheduled in the night hours," said Sattur municipal chairman S. Gurusamy.

While an earthmover was digging the trench, the two workers got into the deep trench to lay a pipe to connect the manholes. At around 1.30 a.m. the top soil caved in and buried both Krishnamoorthi and Sakthivel. Both were killed on the spot.

"Over 88% of the UGD work has been completed and this is the first time we have faced an eventuality," claimed the municipal chairman. The work was being executed by a contractor from Andhra Pradesh. "Since the soil was not loose in the entire vicinity, the contractor has not gone for strutting and shoring to prevent soil from caving in," he added.

The bodies were retrieved around 2.30 a.m.