Three labourers died on Saturday after a mound of soil caved in on them at Gurumpu in Sullia town of the Dakshina Kannada district.
Two of the deceased have been identified as Somashekar and Shantha, a couple from Gadag, while the identity of another labourer is yet to be ascertained.
The mishap occurred when the work on a retaining wall behind the house of one Aboobakkar was in progress. Pillars were laid to construct the retaining wall. When the work was in progress, a mound of soil caved in on the labourers, catching them off-guard. There were seven labourers at the spot. Four of them escaped unhurt.
The fire service personnel and police rushed to the spot. Even before fire personnel arrived, an earth mover from a nearby site was pressed to service to carry out the rescue operation. After more than an hour and a half, three bodies were recovered from the spot.
Karnataka Minister for Fisheries, Ports and Inland Transport, S Angara, Fisheries Development Corporation Chairman A V Theertharama, Tahsildar Manjunath, Taluk Panchayat EO Bhavanishankar and others visited the spot where the incident occurred.