Tirunelveli quarry mishap: One worker succumbs to injuries

CHENNAI: S Selvam (25), of Therku Ilayanarkulam, one of the victims of rockslide in Tirunelveli, succumbed to his injuries on Sunday.

So far, three workers have been rescued from the site.

The mishap took place late on Saturday night. Chief Minister M K Stalin has directed Minister for Backward Classes Welfare R S Rajakannappan to supervise the rescue operations and said steps are being taken, including roping in the services of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), to safely bring the trapped men up to the surface.

Earlier, the two rescued workers were admitted to a government hospital in the district while fire and rescue services department officials are engaged in rescue of the four others, an official release said.

Stalin said suitable action would be taken after an enquiry into the incident and said Rs 1 lakh would be released from the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund to the injured.

District Collector V Vishnu and Superintendent of Police P Saravanan are monitoring the rescue work. Vishnu said the private stone quarry received licence in 2018 and was supposed to renew it in 2023.

"The mishap occurred at around 11.30 pm on Saturday night and it is expected to be due to a landslide. Two labourers have been safely rescued. Works are underway to rescue the four trapped workers," he told reporters.

The services of Navy helicopters were sought but the choppers were not used due to unfavourable conditions, he said.

Nearly 30 members from NDRF, Arakkonam are on their way to join the operations, the officer added.