Drilling in the Maragllas: Two labourers killed, one injured

ISLAMABAD:

At least two labourers were killed and another injured during drilling on the Margalla Hills near Taxila on Friday.

According to rescue officials, the incident took place early morning when five labourers, engaged by Murad Bakhat Stone Crushers for drilling hill stones in the area, were crushed to death.

The Margalla Hills are no stranger to destructive machines. For over three decades, stone crushers have eaten away at the hills by quarrying, drilling, blasting and crushing rocks into fine gravel.

The rescue officials identified one of the dead as Muhammad Jamil, 52, while the body of the second one had been moved Charsadda by the mill owner before the rescue team reached the spot, said an eyewitness.

SHO Taxila police Malik Sajid said a FIR of the incident has been registered against owners of Murad Stone Crushers, owned by two brothers identified as Murad Ali and Niaz Ali. He said that the police only recovered one body from the site. “We need to investigate and ascertain where the second body was moved by the owners,” he said, adding that the owners had escaped to their village in Charsadda and the police were tracing them.

On the other hand, Stone Crushers Association Chairman Khawaja Javaid Akhter said he has been informed that only one labourer was killed and another was injured and admitted to the PAF hospital in critical condition. Akhtar claimed his association will compensate the victims’ family.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 10^th, 2015.