Two killed, others injured as Ibadan quarry caves in

TWO workers yesterday died when a quarry caved in at Ologuneru, Eleyele-eruwa area of Ibadan, Oyo State. The accident, which happened at Carpenter bus stop, Ologuneru, attracted scores of sympathisers who thronged the spot.

The incident, according to an eyewitness, was at the site where sand was packed into a truck when the heap of sand which is about twostorey building high, sud

denly caved in and covered the three men below.

One of the residents in the area told newsmen that aside the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), policemen and officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) also stormed the area for rescue operation.

There were unconfirmed reports that no fewer than seven men had died in similar circumstances at the place in recent past. He said: “Three men were covered by the heap of sand. Three of them were loading that truck with sand when the sand collapsed on them and the truck.

“One of them was immediately rescued with bruises on his head. He was taken to the hospital. But the remaining two were covered completely and there were no equipment to pack the sand. We had to use their shovels before they brought that loader. By the time help came, one man was completely dead while the other one was still breathing; he died thereafter.

“They have been warned to stay away from this place. It is a dangerous venture for someone to stay under this heap. Their names are Wale and Yemi. That Adeyemi just left this place now. He wanted to borrow our digger but we were using it and he then joined them where they were loading,” he said.

The Oyo State sector commander, FRSC, Chukwurah Uche, confirmed the news to journalists in Ibadan. According to her, “our officials were alerted by residents of the area at about 3:00p.m. that a quarry had caved-in and two people lost their lives. “We evacuated their bodies to a mortuary while the third person who sustained injury was taken to the hospital,” Uche noted.