Efforts are underway to rescue a 55-year-old worker trapped in a trench more than 24 hours deep in Punjab's Jalandhar district, officials said Sunday.
The incident happened on Saturday night near the village of Basrampur on the Kartarpur-Kapurthala road during the ongoing Delhi-Katra highway construction.
The man, identified as Suresh, stepped into the 60-70ft trench - dug as part of the construction of the Delhi-Katra highway - on Saturday. Suresh and Pawan, another worker, entered the trench near the village of Basrampur on Kartarpur-Kapurthala Road to free the drill bit stuck underneath.
They say that although Pawan managed to get out, Suresh was trapped after being hit by falling sand. Trenches were dug to erect columns as part of the Delhi-Katra highway project. Officials say a joint operation between the county government and the National Disaster Response Force is underway to rescue Suresh, a Jind of Haryana descent.
Excavators were put into operation for rescue work. Officials said a medical team and ambulance were also deployed to the scene.
Jasbir Singh, Assistant Deputy Commissioner (Urban Development), Jalandhar, was overseeing the rescue operation while officials from the district government, police, and health services were also present, they said. Cabinet Minister Balkar Singh visited the scene on Saturday evening.
