Jalandhar: A technical worker was trapped in a 60-feet-deep borewell after sand collapsed on him while working on the Delhi-Katra expressway in Kartarpur area of Jalandhar, officials said on Sunday.
The incident took place at around 10 pm yesterday when work was underway to dig a borewell for erecting a pillar as part of the expressway project on the Kapurthala-Kartarpur stretch. The worker was trying to rectify a fault in the boring machine as a portion of it had got stuck underneath when suddenly sand collapsed on him.
On getting information about the incident, teams from the district administration and the National Disaster Response Force reached the spot and rescue operation was started immediately. The worker was employed by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) contractor. NHAI sources said that oxygen was continuously being supplied underneath. "The boring machine had encountered a technical glitch ahead of the installation of pillars. Two workers had descended underneath for repairing it. Suddenly, sand collapsed on them. One of the workers managed to come out but the other remained trapped inside," NHAI source said.
Punjab Cabinet Minister Balkar Singh reached the spot on hearing about the incident. Singh interacted with the rescue team personnel and took stock of the the rescue operation. A senior official of the administration said that the rescue teams are on the spot and work is underway.
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The worker could not be traced till now, he said adding that the ground has become soft due to the rainy season which may have led to the sand collapse.
