India is working to repatriate the bodies of six construction workers who died after being overcome by mud and rainwater in a large water pipe at the bottom of a deep excavation during heavy rains on 10 November.
Officials said the men were inside a 300-metre-long, large-diameter concrete pipe in an excavation 14m deep when the rains caused the sudden inundation.
It took rescue teams 12 hours to pump out the pit before they could discover whether the six had survived.
The men were connecting pipes in a major water pipeline project in the coastal city of Seeb, north-west of Muscat, reports The Times of Oman.Â
India’s embassy in Oman confirmed their nationality on 12 November.
“The Embassy is establishing contacts with families of the deceased to coordinate transportation of mortal remains to India,” it tweeted.
“Despite the heavy rainfall, the workers were carrying out the work at the site,” an official from Oman’s Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance told the Times of Oman.
“They were positioned inside the tunnel, but suddenly, the rainwater came in, and they could not make it outside. This, unfortunately, led to their death.
“They were working on a water pipeline project, which is being implemented by a tunnelling company.”
The official added: “The rescue team used large-volume pumps to pump out water from the 295-metre long concrete pipe, 14 metres below the surface. After painstaking efforts for about 12 hours, they were pulled from the inside of the pipe but were found dead.”
Image: ©GCR, illustration by Denis Carrier
