Stone quarry collapse in UP's Sonbhadra: 1 dead, 8 feared trapped as rescue stalls due to darkness, 500m depth

SONBHADRA: One worker died and at least eight workers are feared trapped after a portion of a stone quarry caved-in in UP’s Sonbhadra district on Saturday afternoon.Senior officials, including DM and SP, reached the spot and started rescue operations on a war footing.

Teams of NDRF and SDRF are carrying out the rescue operations at the site in Billi Markundi village of Obra.Sonbhadra SP Abhishek Verma said the body of a worker is trapped under debris and efforts are on to take it out.DM BN Singh said a wall inside the Krishna Mines quarry suddenly caved in, trapping the workers. “Eight workers are feared trapped under the debris. Rescue efforts are underway and the exact situation will be clear only after debris is removed.Rescue hindered by darkness and quarry’s depth of 500mEyewitnesses said around 15 workers were present at the site when the incident occurred. Workers were drilling holes in the rock using nine compressor machines when a huge portion of a rock cracked and collapsed, burying several labourers beneath the rubble.The rescue has been hindered by darkness and the quarry's depth of over 500 metres. The district administration has deployed poklains and generators to continue the rescue work.

UP minister Sanjeev Gond also rushed to the site to oversee the rescue operations. He said a probe would be conducted and action would be taken against those responsible for the incident.Additional DG, Varanasi zone, Piyush Mordia, who also reached the spot, said the quarry owners fled after the incident. Most workers are residents of Panari village.