Stone quarry collapse kills one

A worker was killed and two others were injured yesterday as a chunk of earth collapsed on them while extracting stone illegally at Kalairag in Sylhet’s Companiganj upazila.

The victim is Rubel Miah, 24, of Krishnapur village in Netrakona’s Khaliajuri upazila. The identities of the injured could not be known immediately, said Suman Acharjee, Companiganj upazila nirbahi officer.

“On information, we rushed to the spot. With the firefighters’ help, we recovered the victim’s body and rescued the two injured.”

The incident happened around 11:00am at the stone quarry, which is in possession of one Ershad Miah.

On Thursday, a teenage worker died at another illegal quarry in Shah Arefin Tila of the upazila.

According to Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association, the death toll with the two rose to 78 since January 23, 2017.

Besides Companiganj upazila, illegal stone extraction is going on in different areas of Gowainghat, Jaintiapur, and Kanaighat upazilas.

A taskforce, formed with representatives of administration, the department of environment, BGB, and police, is conducting drives at different illegal stone extraction sites, said the UNO.

Shah Shaheda Akhter, regional coordinator of BELA in Sylhet, said only the taskforce drive was not enough to stop illegal stone extraction. It rather needed a strong government decision.