Nine labourers killed after soil caves in at Gujarat's Meshana

Ahmedabad: Nine construction workers were killed after soil caved in on them in an under-construction site in Guajarat's Mehsana on Saturday afternoon.

The incident occurred at Jasalpur village in Kadi taluka of Mehsana district. According to officials, the factory, owned by Ahmedabad-based Kartik Shah, was constructing an underground tank. The workers had already dug a 15 to 18 feet deep pit.

"They were trapped after a portion of the earth caved in. There was a heap of soil close to the site which collapsed on them. One of the labourers was rescued while nine others died," a police official said.

District Development Officer (DDO) Hasrat Jasmine, who rushed to the spot, told reporters, "Ten labourers were trapped in the soil in which nine were killed while a 19-year-old was rescued and his condition is stable."

She said the factory has been under construction since 2022 and is owned by Kartik Shah, a resident of Ahmedabad. She added that an investigation is under way by respective agencies to find out if safety rules were flouted.

When contacted, Mehsana district superintendent of police Tarun Duggal told DH that the process of registering an FIR was underway. He said most of the victims were tribals from the Dahod district.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel announced financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for the families of the deceased and Rs,50,000 for those injured in the accident.