Odisha: Several people feared dead in rock collapse in stone quarry
Bhubaneswar (PTI): Several people are feared to be dead after a large portion of rocks collapsed at a stone quarry in Odisha's Dhenkanal district, officials said on Sunday.
The incident took place on Saturday evening when some workers were engaged in drilling and exploration of stone from the quarry located near Gopalpur village under Motanga police station limits in the district, they said.
How many workers are trapped under the rocks, and the exact cause behind the incident has not yet been cleared. However, local fire service teams, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams, along with dog squad and machines engaged in rescue operations, have been rushed to the area, a fire service officer said.
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"The rescue operation is in progress," the officer said.
Dhenkanal Collector Ashish Ishwar Patil and SP Abhinav Sonkar have reached the spot to supervise the rescue operation.
Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik, in a post on X said, "I am deeply saddened to learn that workers lost their lives due to a rockfall following an explosion in a stone quarry in Dhenkanal. At this sorrowful time, I convey my deepest condolences to the family members, along with prayers for the eternal peace of the departed souls.
"Let appropriate investigations be conducted into the circumstances under which this incident occurred and the state of the workers' safety measures, and let the government direct its attention toward immediately expediting rescue operations."
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Chair hurled at Union Minister of State V. Somanna during public event in Koppal
Koppal: Tension prevailed for a brief period at Hitnal village in Koppal taluk on Monday after a chair was allegedly hurled at Union Minister of State for Railways and Jal Shakti, V. Somanna, during a public function.
The incident occurred when Somanna was attending the foundation stone–laying ceremony for a railway flyover near Hitnal village.
According to reports, a group of Congress workers expressed anger over the alleged exclusion of Koppal MP K. Rajashekar Basavaraj Hitnal and District In-charge Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi from the invitation list for the program. During the incident, a chair was reportedly thrown, but the Minister was unharmed as his security personnel intervened in time.
Following the incident, chaos ensued at the venue for some time, with protesters allegedly throwing chairs and staging a demonstration in front of Somanna’s vehicle, accusing the organisers of violating protocol.
The railway flyover project, being taken up for Rs 27 crore, connects the Hitnal–Munirabad–Ginigera stretch.
Reacting to the incident, Somanna said the project was fully funded by the Central government and denied any breach of protocol. “There was no violation of etiquette related to the programme. The disturbance was created intentionally,” he said.
