Body of man stuck in 70-foot pit for 45 hrs retrieved

Chandigarh: The body of a 55-year-old worker was pulled out of a 70-foot pit in Punjab’s Jalandhar district on Monday afternoon, 45 hours after he got trapped in it, said officials.

The pit was dug to erect a pillar as part of the Delhi-Katra Expressway expressway project.

The incident took place on Saturday evening near Jalandhar’s Basrampur village when Suresh, along with his co-worker Pawan, had entered the pit to free some part of the boring machine that got stuck underneath. While Pawan came out, Suresh got trapped after earth fell on him, officials said.

The rescue operation started on Saturday evening and continued throughout Sunday and Monday. The rescuers faced trouble in the operation soft earth continued to cave in as they dug deeper to reach Suresh.

A team of the National Disaster Response Force conducted the rescue operation. Earth excavation machines had been pressed into service. A medical team and an ambulance were also stationed at the site, officials said.

Immediately after Suresh was pulled out around 4 pm, he was taken in an ambulance to Jalandhar civil hospital where doctors declared him brought dead, the police said.

The body of the deceased, who hailed from Haryana’s Jind, has been sent for post-mortem examination at the civil hospital.

An official of the National Highways Authority of India on Sunday said both the workers, having experience in the job, were sent into the pit with oxygen cylinders and protective gear.

All safety protocols were followed, he had said.