Worker killed, 3 injured as section of under-construction tunnel collapses in Kota

Kota (Rajasthan): A worker died and three were injured when a section of an under-construction tunnel on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway collapsed here, police said on Sunday.

The incident took place in the Modak police station area on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. The 4.9-km green overpass tunnel is being constructed under the hills of the Mukundra Tiger Reserve.

Superintendent of Police, Kota Rural, Sujit Shankar said a portion of the tunnel, which is part of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, collapsed in the Modak area of Ramganj Mandi.

After receiving information about the incident, police and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials rushed to the spot.

Four labourers were working at the construction site and one was trapped under the debris after a portion of the sidewall of the tunnel collapsed. The other three escaped with minor injuries, said Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ram Kalyan Meena, who supervised the rescue operation.

Shamsher Singh (33), a resident of Uttarakhand's Dehradun, was pulled out of the debris and rushed to the community health centre, where he was pronounced dead, he said.

The body has been kept in a mortuary. The post-mortem will be conducted after Singh's family members arrive here. The injured were discharged on Sunday morning, said Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ghanshyam Meena.

Based on the post-mortem report, a case will be registered in the matter, he said.