Jajpur: At least two persons, including a child labourer, were killed after a large chunk of stone came crashing down on them reportedly from a height of 20 feet at an illegal black stone quarry in Lunibar mouza near Chadheidhara under Jenapur police limits and Dharmasala tehsil in Jajpur district, police said Wednesday. One of the deceased was identified as Shantanu Khilar, a machine operator and a resident of Telkoi in Keonjhar district, while another is a child labourer. The incident took place at Lunibar black stone quarry under Jenapur police station limits where the stones were being extracted using heavy earth moving equipment. The trader had engaged the deceased duo and some other labourers to extract stone late Tuesday night. Khilar and the child labourer as well as others were loading stones on a truck with an earthmover.
After conducting blasting on the quarry, they were picking up the heavy boulders and loaded them on a transport vehicle. Both the deceased persons were inside the heavy machine when a large chunk of stone came crashing reportedly from 20 feet height and fell on them. Khilar died on the spot while the child labourer was rescued and rushed to the Dharmasala community health centre (CHC) first and later shifted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack where he succumbed during treatment. On being informed, Jenapur police personnel reached the spot and initiated a probe into the matter. Jenapur police station inspector in-charge Umakanta Nayak said the investigation is underway and appropriate action would be taken against the culprits.
Notably, over 25 labourers and operators have lost their lives at illegal stone quarries during the last seven to eight years