Kerala - Kochi   

Probe begins into quarry accident

KOCHI: A team of geologists led by Director of Mining and Geology K.L. Krishnamoorthy visited the site of Saturday’s quarry mishap at Mannur, near Perumbavoor, on Sunday. Five workers lost their life in the accident that took place following a landslip.

The officials were blocked from entering the quarry by local residents, who said the department had turned a deaf ear to their repeated pleas to end dangerous operations at the quarry, which was located at an area where the soil is loose. The inquiry report will be submitted to the department and another report by the Explosives Department will soon be submitted to the district administration.

The Kunnathunad police said that excavators had been put in operation on Sunday too, since local residents and workers alleged that more bodies were feared trapped in the debris comprising huge granite boulders and mud. A case of unnatural death was registered, but no arrests were made. “We are verifying documents to check whether the quarry is functioning as per norms,” police sources said.

Local residents alleged that most of the quarries functioning in the area do not have licence and pay scant regard to safety norms. Many of the quarries are located on land leased by the government.

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