Day after Una mishap, 26 workers with two bodies leave for Chhattisgarh

Una, January 2

A day after two workers were killed and three others injured in the Una secretariat building mishap, 26 workers belonging to the same village as that of the deceased left for Chhattisgarh by road. They were accompanying the two bodies, wives of the deceased and their children. The last rites will be performed at their native village in the presence of their family members, said a worker.

Mukesh Kumar, one of the workers, recalls that it was the first day of the new year and the foreman had declared it as a non-working day. However, since a truckload of marble slabs had arrived the previous night, it was decided to unload the vehicle and about 12 men volunteered to do the task.

At about 1 pm, the tragedy struck. Four persons, who were trapped under the slabs were rescued by people, while Kedar, the fifth one escaped with a minor injury.

Those who were declared brought dead at the Una district hospital were Mohan Lal Kaibarta (37) and Shiv Kumar Kaushik (33), both residents of Jhabdi village of Balodabazar district in Chhattisgarh. The injured include Tula Ram, who was shifted to the PGI in Chandigarh where his condition is reportedly stable. The other injured, Shankar, is under treatment at the Una district hospital.

Construction foreman Ram Babu said the contractor had paid a compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased and had also arranged for the transportation of bodies their family members and other workers to their village.

Kedar, the survivor, also boarded the bus back home. “I pray that Tula Ram and Shankar recover soon and are back with us,” he said. — TNS

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