Steephan Kayyar
Daijiworld Media Network – Kasargod
Kasargod, May 12: A tragic incident unfolded on Monday, May 12 afternoon in Cheruvathur, Kasaragod district, where a hill collapsed during ongoing National Highway (NH) development work, leading to the death of one labourer and leaving two others seriously injured. Another worker escaped with minor injuries.
The mishap occurred near Muttalayi in Cheruvathur, where work was being carried out for road widening and infrastructure development under the National Highway project. During the activity, a large section of a hillside gave way, burying the workers beneath.
The deceased worker has been identified as Mumtaz Mir (18), a native of West Bengal. Two other workers, Munal Laskar (55) and Mehan Tejar (18), also from West Bengal, sustained grievous injuries and were rushed to a private hospital in Cheruvathur for treatment. One other labourer managed to escape with minor injuries.
Rescue teams from the Fire and Emergency Services, along with the local police, launched an intensive operation. After several hours of effort, they managed to extricate all three buried workers. However, Mumtaz Mir was found dead at the scene. His body has been shifted to the mortuary at Kannur Government Medical College.
The accident site had several workers present at the time of the collapse, but many managed to move to safety in the nick of time, according to eyewitness accounts.
Taking serious note of the incident, district In-charge minister A K Saseendran has ordered a detailed inquiry. “A report must be submitted after a thorough investigation into the causes of the collapse,” the minister directed officials, further instructing the administration to take necessary measures to prevent such occurrences in future infrastructure works.
Top district and project officials, including district collector K Imbashhekhar, superintendent of Police Vijay Bharat Reddy, and Umesh Ghar, project director of the National Highway Development Authority of India, visited the accident site and conducted a spot inspection.
The incident has raised concerns about labour safety protocols and the stability of terrain in ongoing highway construction zones. Authorities are expected to review existing safety measures and reinforce guidelines to ensure worker safety going forward.