Two labourers were buried alive and another was injured on Thursday when a part of the earth caved in while they were digging at the site of a proposed 12-storeyed building in Bhairathi, Kothanur.
The deceased are Sharanappa (45) and Channayappa (50).
The injured labourer, Hussain (32) was also trapped underneath debris, but was rescued by officials of the fire and emergency services.
Sharanappa is from Gulbarga. He had come to the city with his wife Anaveeramma. They were living in a makeshift house in Bhairathi. The couple has two children Gururaja (14) and Siddaraja (12) who are in high school who had come to the city during their summer vacation.
The victims were digging a trench to construct a compound wall around the proposed apartment complex being constructed on a 100 X 120 sq feet plot.
While digging, a part of the earth, which had loosened due to leakage in the storm water drain nearby, caved in.
The Kothanur police rushed to the spot and helped in the rescue of the two.
Preliminary enquiries revealed that the project did not have the required permissions. “They have not obtained a No Objection Certificate from the Fire and Emergency Services Department, which is mandatory for any construction work,” a senior fire officer told The Hindu.
The Kothanur police registered a case against the company and owners of the site.
