CHENNAI: A worker died and another was injured after sand caved in during underground drainage (UGD) work near Pallikaranai on Wednesday.

The Chennai Metro Water Department is carrying out the UGD work in Pallikaranai. On Wednesday, workers were digging Bharathidasan Street when the sand caved in

Two workers – Anbu (50) and Thirupathi (40) – were buried in the pit which was about 10 feet deep. The co-workers tried to rescue both of them but in vain, after which they alerted the Pallikaranai police and the rescue team.

The rescue team rushed to the spot and managed to rescue Thirupathi who was taken to the Chrompet GH. However, there was a two-hour delay in locating Anbu, which proved fatal, as it became a recovery, and not a rescue mission.

The police sent Anbu’s body for post-mortem. A case was registered and an inquiry is going on with the private contractor for not providing proper safety gear for workers when they were asked to work underground.