Two migrant workers die after drilling rig overturns onto Kasaragod house

Two migrant workers were killed after a tractor-mounted borewell drilling rig overturned onto a house at Varakkad in West Eleri, Kasaragod, early on Saturday, police said. The deceased were identified as Devender, who was from Madhya Pradesh, and Manasar, who was from Chhattisgarh. The accident occurred at about 2 a.m.

while the tractor was negotiating a steep descent, according to police. The driver reportedly lost control, causing the vehicle and the drilling equipment mounted on it to overturn onto the house. The two workers were trapped underneath the vehicle and suffered serious injuries.

Local residents reached the site and took the injured workers to a hospital. They were declared dead there, police said. Their bodies were moved to a hospital in Kanhangad and were to be handed over to relatives after postmortem examinations.

The house belonged to Paul Francis, who had rented it to Jayson and his family. The family was sleeping on the floor in the hall when the accident happened and escaped without the report recording any injuries to them. Police said the drilling machine came to rest on the plinth of the house.

This prevented the tractor from breaking through the walls and entering the interior, limiting the damage to the structure. The house was partially damaged, police said. The stretch where the accident occurred has previously seen similar incidents, including the overturning of a lorry and a four-wheeler.

Police said the circumstances of the accident included the reported loss of control on the steep descent. The source material does not provide further information about the driver’s condition, the ownership of the rig or any investigation beyond the police account.