Three labourers were buried alive and four others injured when a mound of soil caved in on them at Bhendi village in Chhattisgarh's Balod district on Tuesday, police said.
The deceased included a woman and a couple who were employed under the MNREGA among other villagers, for some development work in the region, a senior police official told PTI.
The mishap occurred when the labourers were digging out from an old mound of nearly 10-feet-high 'murum' at the spot for the construction of a canal when it collapsed on them, police said.
The bodies of Joga Bai (45), Basanti Bai (45) and her husband Komal Singh (45)--all residents of Bhendi--were extricated from under the mud by police and villagers.
The injured labourers, including three women, were rushed to a local hospital from where one of them was referred to Bhilai for further treatment, the officer said.
The district administration has announced assistance of Rs 25,000 for next to the kin of labourers killed in the incident. Chief Minister Raman Singh has expressed profound grief on the death of villagers in the accident and empathised with the bereaved families, a official statement said.
Singh has also directed concerned district officials to initiate a probe in this connection and take stern action against those responsible, it said.
Meanwhile, Balod Collector NK Shukla has suspended Sub-Engineer Panchayat and Rural Development department Subhaschand Gore and Gram Panchayat Secretary Munnibai Sahu, after conducting the preliminary investigations.
Besides, the MNREGA Employment Assistant Satyesh Das' service is also terminated in this connection.
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