Bengaluru, July 2: A tragic incident in Bengaluru, Karnataka, has resulted in the deaths of seven workers crushed by a massive boulder. Authorities reported that the boulder, dislodged by an excavator from an upper mine, fell onto the workers below.
On Thursday morning, a large rock fell on laborers at a stone quarry, leading to the fatalities of seven migrant workers from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and North Karnataka.
The accident occurred at the Cauvery Crusher Unit located in Madapatna village, within the Tavarekere police jurisdiction of South Bengaluru.
The deceased have been identified as Ramu, Rajpal Singh, Satyanarayan Singh, Ram Avatar Singh, Rajendra Prasad, Nuhar, and Bhuvaneshwar Singh, all aged between 30 and 40 years.
After visiting the site, S. Girish, the IG of the Central Zone, informed reporters, “There are two mines here. The upper mine is owned by one individual, while the lower mine belongs to another. Both sites were operational this morning. An excavator in the upper mine was removing stones when a large boulder rolled down and struck the workers below.”
He added, “There were a total of 16 workers in the lower mine. Seven died on the spot, and five were hospitalized, with one in critical condition. Four other workers managed to escape.”
The IG noted that one of the deceased was from Karnataka’s Yadgir district, while the others were from Madhya Pradesh. Among the injured, one worker hails from Chhattisgarh.
Gopi, a survivor from Tamil Nadu, claimed that workers in the upper mine failed to warn those below. “The workers above should have alerted us, but no one did. I have worked here for eight years, and they usually inform us in advance. This time, we had no warning. We barely escaped. If we had been warned, we could have avoided the danger. A rock hit me, but I managed to flee. At the time, between 15 to 30 people were working there. Heavy machinery like tractors and excavators were also severely damaged in the incident.”
The boulder fell with such force that many workers were trapped beneath it. Authorities stated that the bodies were so badly damaged that identification was challenging. A tractor, a tipper, and other heavy machinery were also completely wrecked.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar responded to the incident at the Vidhana Soudha, stating, “This unfortunate accident occurred at two adjacent mines on Magadi Road. I have been informed that seven people have died. All bodies have been recovered, and senior officials are on-site. It is clear that there was no blasting involved. I expect a full report by this afternoon. An investigation is underway to determine whether both mines were operating legally or illegally. All regulations must be adhered to. I have also received updates from Yeshwantpur MLA S.T. Somasekhara.”
The Chief Minister emphasized that action would be taken following the report, and compensation would be announced once all details are known. “Most importantly, such incidents must not happen again in the future.”
A son of one of the deceased recalled the tragic event, saying, “I was about to leave for my night shift when I received the call. My father arrived at work around 6:20 AM. He was loading stones when the accident occurred. I found his body there and took it away. He had been working here for the past six months.”
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