Maha: Labourer dies in soil cave-in at drainage construction site in Gondia

A labourer died in a mishap on Monday during the construction of an underground drainage line in Maharashtra's Gondia city, an official said.

The incident took place in Mama Chowk in the city's market area in the morning when labourers were digging a 12-foot deep trench for the line, he said.

''At 11am, land on one side of the trench caved in, burying Suresh Neware (40). His body was retrieved from under the debris by firefighters,'' the official said.

Meanwhile, his kin alleged he was given medical aid late and claimed the site did not have mandated safety precautions.

They refused to claim the body till the Kolhapur-based firm contracted with the work by the state-run Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) promised to pay Rs 10 lakh as compensation, on site officials said.

Several hundred people, including local political leaders and activists, held a protest at the site alleging the work being carried out was of substandard quality.