Vijayawada: In a tragic incident, three quarry workers lost their lives while drilling in the Donabanda hills near Paritala, NTR district, on Monday. The accident occurred at Pawan Crushers, where recent blasting and heavy rains had loosened rocks. As the workers drilled, a sudden landslide buried them under massive boulders.
The victims were Bathula Durga Raj (23) from Cheruvu Madhavaram, Driller BB Naik (42) from Odisha, and Ram Dev Bhagel (33) from Chhattisgarh. Kanchikacharla police and mining officials quickly arrived at the scene, using heavy machinery to recover the bodies. An eyewitness noted that another worker narrowly escaped the incident, as he was a bit farther from the site.
This incident has highlighted serious safety concerns in quarries, with accusations of inadequate protective measures and frequent accidents due to negligence. CPM state secretariat member CH Babu Rao alleged that laborers are often forced to work under life-threatening conditions and demanded a detailed inquiry into the incident. Left parties are demanding Rs. 25 lakh compensation for the families of the deceased.
