Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jun 29: In an incident which occurred at Valachil Padavu in the taluk on Tuesday June 28 evening, a migrant labourer lost his life after he drowned in standing water of a stone quarry. The deceased has been identified as Kishore (35) from Bihar state.

It is gathered that Kishore had been working since the last few years at a stone quarry located near Expert College at Valachil Padavu owned by a person known as Yaddu. On Tuesday evening, on finishing the day''''s work, he had ventured into the standing water to wash himself along with his son, when he slipped and drowned, it is gathered.

The standing water was very deep because of torrential rain received in the region since the last few days. Kishore, who slipped, could not recover, as he did know how to swim. Noticing that his son was shouting for help atop the quarry, some locals rushed there, went into the quarry, and found the body.

Many people said that a large number of stone quarries located at Valachil Padavu have large craters filled with water, which pose danger to the people. They are angry at the failure of quarry owners to close these quarries or erect fences around them as advised last year by the district administration.

Although police of the rural station in the city were informed about this tragic incident on Tuesday evening, police had not arrived at the spot till 11 pm. When an effort was made to move the mortal remains of the person by an ambulance, locals stopped the ambulance and insisted that policemen should conduct spot inspection and inquest before the body could be taken away. Situation turned tense for some time as a result. The ambulance driver claimed that he had come there under instructions of the police.