Team Goemkarponn
SADA: A labourer was buried alive and two others were injured after a rain-triggered landslide struck a retaining wall construction site at Sada Harbour Road on Monday, exposing the dangers faced by workers carrying out construction activity in vulnerable zones during the monsoon season.
The deceased has been identified as Manoranjan Bind, who was trapped under a massive mound of mud and debris after a portion of the hillside collapsed at the work site amid continuous rainfall. The tragedy occurred while labourers were engaged in retaining wall construction along the roadside stretch, where the soil is believed to have weakened following heavy overnight rains.
According to sources, four labourers were working at the site when the landslide suddenly occurred. Three workers managed to escape narrowly after noticing the soil giving way, while Bind was unable to flee and got buried beneath the collapsing earth within seconds. Panic gripped the area as workers and local residents rushed to the spot and alerted emergency services.
Teams from Fire and Emergency Services launched an intensive rescue operation in difficult conditions as rain continued in the area. After prolonged efforts, rescuers managed to retrieve Bind from under the debris, but he had succumbed before he could be rescued.
Two injured labourers were shifted to hospital for medical treatment. Their injuries are believed to have been sustained while attempting to escape during the collapse. Police personnel also reached the site and began a preliminary inquiry into the incident.
The fatal landslide has once again brought attention to the risks faced by labourers working in monsoon-hit construction zones, especially in roadside hill-cutting and slope stabilisation projects. Questions are likely to be raised over whether adequate safety assessments, soil stability checks and precautionary measures were undertaken before work continued amid persistent rainfall.
With heavy rains intensifying across Goa, the incident is expected to renew concerns over construction safety protocols and monitoring of high-risk work sites during the monsoon period.
