Labourers swept away in west Delhi yet to be traced: Police

Two labourers, who were swept away while working on a project to construct a cemented wall over a 30-foot-deep drain in west Delhi's Khayala area, remained untraced, officials said on Saturday.

One labourer was killed and two others went missing on Friday after being swept away as the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), which had stopped the water flow in the drain for the said work, suddenly resumed the supply.

The deceased was identified as Shahrukh (25), a resident of Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh, the police had said, adding that Ankit (19), a resident of Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh, and Devinder Sharma (25), a resident of Etah in Uttar Pradesh, were missing.

According to the Delhi Fire Service, the rescue teams are still clueless about the two missing labourers. One fire tender was sent to the spot along with the station officer. The vehicle returned at around 9 pm on Saturday.

The rescue operations will continue on Sunday, officials said.

The Delhi police, along with the Delhi Fire Department and the District Disaster Relief department, conducted the rescue operations to trace the two workers.

The officials involved in the rescue operations fear that the two workers may not have survived as the tank is deep and the presence of poisonous gases in it has made it difficult for the rescuers to dive deep.

The DJB had given the contract for the construction of the wall to a private company, the police said.

Twelve labourers were working on the project on Friday. At around noon, Shahrukh, Ankit and Sharma entered the drain to take the measurements for its cover. Meanwhile, someone allegedly resumed the water supply and the three were swept away, the police had said on Friday.