Seven workers killed as roof of pump house collapses

Quoting the project's executive engineer from the site, a state government release said seven workers were killed when the roof of an underground pump house at the Kaleswaram irrigation project site draft tube caved in this afternoon.

A draft tube at the end of a turbine increases the pressure of the exiting fluid at the expense of its velocity.

Six of them belonged to Jharkhand and Odisha, while one person hailed from Jaishankar Bhoopalapalli district of Telangana, according to the release.

Earlier, District Superintendent of Police Kampati Vishwajith said the roof of an irrigation tunnel in which the labourers were working caved in at around 12:30 pm.

Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao said the agency is carrying out the works at the site, around 130-km from Hyderabad, has announced a financial assistance of Rs five lakh each to the family of the deceased.

Rao ordered a comprehensive inquiry into the incident.

The release quoted irrigation engineer-in-chief as saying that appropriate steps would be taken at the project site after receiving suggestions from experts and also the inquiry report.

Expressing shock over the death of the workers, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao urged authorities to take steps to prevent such incidents, a release from his office said.