Two other workers fell with him. Lack of required equipment to pull the three men out and large crowds that had gathered at the spot delayed the rescue process.

The fire brigade was also called in to pull the men out. Finally, with the help of a crane two workers were rescued, however, Muthur was trapped in the mud inside the pit and died of suffocation. The rescue operation lasted three hours, said the police.

Muthur’s body is presently at Bhagwati Hospital for a post mortem. The other two workers did not sustain any injuries in the accident.

“When the police reached the spot a large crowd had gathered there and this hampered our rescue efforts,” said an officer of Dindoshi police station.