Pics: Ramesh Pandith
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (DV)

Updated

Mangaluru, Dec 1: Mangal, the labourer who got trapped under iron rods and mud after a landslip at Padil-Bajal railway underbrigde construction site is believed to have died.

Months after the long-awaited project was inaugurated, a portion of the under-construction Padil-Bajal underbridge collapsed late evening on Monday December 1, trapping Mangal.

It is learnt that the workers were engaged in the task of tying wires around iron rods, when all of a sudden the mud wall above them caved in and collapsed on them.

It is surmised that frequent movement of trains in the area might have loosened the soil since the construction began. On Monday, a train had passed just before the incident took place, and its vibrations might caused the land slip, it is suspected.

Mangal (22) from West Bengal got trapped under the iron rods and the mud, while another labourer, Ramdev, managed to escape.

Bharatkumar, a Good Samaritan who resides in the locality rushed to their rescue even before the fire service reached the spot. The locals also joined in the efforts to rescue Mangal.

The Mangaluru rural police and the fire service personnel arrived at the spot. After long hours of efforts, the body was finally retrieved.

After years of waiting and repeated demands, the foundation for Padil-Bajal underbridge was laid in August this year by the then union railway minister D V Sadananda Gowda.