Jeypore/Borigumma: The body of one of the two JCB operators, who got trapped under huge boulders at a stone quarry near Telengiri Irrigation Project near Bariput village in Koraput district, was recovered Sunday, 11 days after the mishap.
The identity of the deceased was not immediately ascertained as the family members of both the missing men- Ghanashyam Guru of Deogarh and Sanjay Das of Athagarh area in Cuttack district, were called to identify the body. The body was found crushed under the JCB machine at a depth of 12-ft. The family members identified the body as that of Ghanashyam Guru from the locket on his neck.
Sources said the two operators had got trapped under a heap of huge boulders after the hill suddenly caved in on them while they were excavating boulders for the ongoing Telengiri Irrigation project at about 5 pm May 31. The quarry was operated by DD Construction Limited.
An engineering battalion of the Indian Army had reached the spot Thursday last and started rescue operation after ODRAF, fire services, and NDRF personnel failed to find the two trapped men despite their best efforts.
Left with no option, the district administration had sought the help of the Army due to non-availability of adequate machinery and equipment required to remove the huge boulders.
The NDRF personnel gave in citing the lack of adequate equipment in tracing the two operators trapped under the huge boulders.
The battalion conducted minor blasts at the quarry to clear the debris from Thursday night till Saturday while CrPc Section 144 was imposed within one km radius of the stone quarry. Meanwhile, efforts are still on to rescue the second operator trapped inside the quarry. It is suspected that more people might be trapped under the debris. Collector K Sudarshan Chakraborty and SP Kanwar Vishal Singh were present at the site.
PNN