PAKPATTAN (Sahiwal News – Web Desk): Two labourers were buried alive and killed, while another sustained critical injuries after a mound of soil collapsed during excavation work at an under-construction commercial plaza in Pakpattan.
According to eyewitnesses, foundation digging was underway near Nageena Chowk, close to the Flying Coach Adda, when contractors sent workers into a 10 to 12-foot-deep pit without implementing any safety measures. Three labourers were working inside the excavation when the soil wall suddenly caved in.
Following the tragic incident, local residents managed to pull one labourer out of the debris before the arrival of Rescue 1122. He was shifted in critical condition to the District Headquarters Hospital, Pakpattan. However, the other two labourers remained trapped under soil and concrete rubble.
The deceased were identified as Irfan, a resident of 31/SP, and Shafqat, a resident of Apna Town, Pakpattan. Medical reports confirmed that both men suffered severe chest injuries, which proved fatal.
Rescue Safety Officer Abdul Raza said the rescue operation lasted over four hours. More than two dozen rescue workers, with the help of heavy machinery, cranes, tractors, and local volunteers, removed the debris and recovered the bodies.
Upon receiving information about the incident, Deputy Commissioner Asif Raza, District Police Officer Javed Chadhar, DSP Inam-ul-Haq, and Assistant Commissioner Rab Nawaz Matlu reached the site and supervised the rescue operation.
Later, Pakpattan police registered two cases against the contractors and building owners on charges of negligence and endangering the lives of labourers by failing to ensure basic safety measures.