Two labourers repairing well in Farrukhnagar die as soil caves in

GURGAON: Two workers repairing a well in Farrukhnagar's Jarau died as the soil around them caved in on Sunday.It took an earthmover and rescuers over 30 minutes to pull them out of the mud pile, and by that time, the two had died.

This is the second such incident in less than a month in the district. Three women who were digging for a pond in Darapur village of Pataudi were buried in a mudslide on June 13. Five other women, all of whom were employed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme, had suffered injuries.

Gurgaon deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav on Monday ordered an inquiry into Sunday's incident.

According to police, Rajender Kumar (38) and Manoj Kumar (36) were working in the well at a farm owned by a villager, Manoj Yadav.

"They were fixing a dilapidated well when a huge chunk of mud caved in and buried them," an investigating officer of Farrukhnagar police station said. Five others who were working in the field rushed to the spot and alerted others.

"Villagers came to help and an earthmover was called in. It took more than 30 minutes to dig the area again and pull them out of the 7-foot-deep well. We rushed the workers to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared both of them dead. The matter was informed to the police," said Sunder Singh, a villager.

Rajender belongs to Siwari village of Gurgaon, and Manoj is from Bihar.

Police said on Monday that they haven't received a formal complaint, but started an investigation under CrPC section 174 (police to inquire and report further).

"Autopsy reports say they died of suffocation. We will take action after receiving a written complaint in the case," the investigator said.