Over 10 workers have been trapped under a pile of heavy bags containing grains after a storage unit in the Vijayapura industrial area in Karnataka collapsed on Monday night. According to the news agency PTI, the incident occurred when the storage unit collapsed causing the sacks to overturn and entrap the workers. About 50 workers were working at Rajguru Industries, a food processing unit situated in the industrial estate at Aliabad, just on the outskirts of Vijayapura, according to Times Of India.
By Tuesday, three workers had been successfully rescued, an official confirmed.
Vijayapura's Deputy Commissioner, T Bhoobalan, informed ANI that the rescued individuals were promptly taken to a private hospital for treatment.
"There are still workers stranded within the warehouse. Approximately 10-12 individuals may remain trapped, while three have been brought to safety. They are currently receiving medical attention at a private hospital," Bhoobalan mentioned.
Videos circulating showed officials engaged in a rescue mission to extricate the trapped workers.
This incident occurred shortly after the recent successful rescue of 41 workers who were trapped for 17 days in a collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi. The arduous rescue operation, lasting over two weeks, faced numerous challenges due to terrain obstacles hampering the tunnel drilling equipment.
In the final phase of the rescue effort, rat-hole miners were employed to retrieve the trapped workers.
The collapse of a section of the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel on November 12 had confined the 41 workers within the structure under construction. Ultimately, all of them were rescued on November 28.