Excelsior Correspondent
Samba, June 5: A 27-year-old labourer lost his life this evening after a cement mixture tanker overturned due to a soil slide on the Jammu-Pathankot National Highway near Samba.
The mishap occurred at the road widening site near the Chichi Mata temple, the same spot where a portion of the highway had collapsed on May 5.
According to eyewitnesses, the soil underneath suddenly gave way, causing the tanker to overturn. The driver managed to jump out and save himself, they said.
They further said that at the time of the incident, around 20-25 workers were engaged in construction work nearby.
“Most of them managed to escape, but one worker got trapped beneath the overturned vehicle and the spilled cement mixture,” they said.
The eyewitnesses said a rescue operation was quickly launched by fellow workers and a JCB machine present at the site.
“After nearly an hour of efforts, the trapped labourer was pulled out in an injured condition and rushed to District Hospital Samba,” they said, adding, “He was, however, declared as dead on arrival.”
The deceased has been identified as Alam (27), son of Zulfiqar, a native of Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh.
His body has been kept in the hospital mortuary for post-mortem.
Meanwhile, police have registered a case under the relevant sections of the law and started further investigation into the matter.
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