Illegal excavation: Two labourers buried alive under mounds of sand

Police book contractor who had hired the labourers

HARIPUR: Two labourers were buried alive under large quantities of sand while allegedly illegally extracting sand in a remote village of Tehsil Ghazi, police said on Monday.

A case was registered against the contractor who had hired labourers to unlawfully dig in the area, police added

Ghazi SHO Abdul Riyan Khan said that following a case of illegal allotment of mines against former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf minister Ziaullah Afridi, the provincial government had banned excavation of sand from mines in Tamrahi and had deputed guards to ensure compliance of the order.

However, local contractor Haider Zaman had allegedly continued to illegally extract sand in the area. The sand is used for plastering walls during construction.

On Sunday evening, Zaman sent five labourers with three tractor-trolleys to load up the sand. While excavating, a heavy mound of sand fell on them.

Two labourers were buried alive but three escaped unhurt. The three trolleys were also buried.

Police and locals launched a rescue operation and managed to recover the bodies late on Sunday night.

Those killed were identified as Afsar Khan and Bakhtawar, residents of Tamrahi village and Shamsabad in Swabi respectively. Their funerals were held in the village on Monday morning.

A criminal case was registered against Zaman under section 322 of the PPC.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 21^st, 2017.