2 labourers buried alive while digging for construction of multi-storey plaza in Sahiwal

An unfortunate incident took place in Pakpattan, Sahiwal, when two laborers were buried alive after a sidewall of a deep excavation collapsed during foundation work for a multi-storey commercial plaza, on Wednesday.

The eyewitnesses blamed poor enforcement of safety measures at the construction site before the workers were sent into a 10-12-foot-deep pit for digging. 

According to reports, the labourers were working in the foundation pit when the soil wall suddenly fell and trapped them under tonnes of sand and concrete debris.

One of the workers was successfully pulled out by a local passerby, after which Rescue 1122 teams arrived on the scene. The other two workers remained buried and were pulled out after a four-hour long rescue operation. 

The deceased were identified as Irfan and Shafqat from Pakpattan. Both men succumbed to severe chest injuries caused by the collapse.

Abdul Raza, an official from the rescue team, stated that 12 rescuers, assisted by heavy cranes, tractors and local volunteers, took part in clearing the debris. 

Deputy commissioner Asif Raza, district police officer Javed Chadhar, DSP Inamul Haq and assistant commissioner Rab Nawaz Matllo, visited the site to supervise rescue efforts.

Two cases against the contractors and building owners have been filed by the Pakpattan police sheer negligence and putting the workers lives in danger.