Two Ramnad labourers trapped under sand, rescued

Shanmugaraj (42) from Vellapatti was digging a well near his house. He had employed some men and women, mostly relatives, to help him. On Wednesday, when the digging was going on in full swing at a depth of 15 feet, a huge mound of mud slid down and covered the two of them, Shanmugaraj and one Marikani (37), a relative of Shanmugaraj. 

The duo who were suddenly covered with sand struggled for some time and managed to get their head out. As the sand was till their neck they raised an alarm and fellow workers and people in the neighbourhood rushed to help them.

But, they realised that it was impossible to just lift them out by clearing sand. The rescue operation commenced with the same JCB machine that was used for digging the well. Meanwhile, Fire and Rescue Department personnel were alerted and they reached the spot. 

After 45 minutes of struggle, they managed to take the duo out of the sand heap and rushed them to the Sayalkudi GH for treatment.