A 35-year-old man, who was helping dig a well for a company near the sea, was trapped when the mud surrounding the well suddenly collapsed, leaving him covered in fine white beach sand. The incident took place in Kundapur taluk in Udupi district, with comes under the Gangolli police station limits.
Rohit Kharve and four others were working on making the final water pipe connection when he was sucked into the earth in a matter of seconds. However, alert bystanders contacted the police, who rushed to the spot and called in the fire brigade.
Police said that water was found just 20 meters below the surface, as the spot is right next to the sea. After the labourers struck water, they were trying to lay a pipe when the ground below him gave way.
The incident occurred at around 12.30 pm on Sunday. Rohit was trapped in mud for two hours before he was rescued.
A rescue mission in Kundapura taluk where a man was lifted out of a well with a crane.
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Fire marshals arrived at the spot, bringing a JCB crane to help pull him out. However, this didn’t work as the man was almost completely buried in the sand, with only his neck visible. The crane, which was trying to shift the sand ended up exacerbating the problem as it covered the man with more sand, thereby burying him.
Officials had to think quickly for an alternative. They finally hit on the solution of using smaller tools to move the sand. They then extended a rope to the man with the crane, so that he could be lifted out.
Police said that the man is in a fit condition and could easily pull himself out with help from the crane, and was thus finally pulled out of the pit. Officials said that the man was taken to hospital, where doctors declared him healthy. While the pipe connection was laid, the well has now been covered up with sand.