Two workers were killed on Wednesday in an illegal granite quarry as a portion of the hillock caved in at Lunibara under Jenapur police station of Jajpur district.
The mishap occurred when the quarrying was underway with the use of poclain machines. The deceased workers were identified as Santanu Khilar (28), a machine operator and Apu Rout (17), a helper. Both died on the spot.
Police seized the bodies and sent them to the local Government hospital at Dharamsala for autopsy, said the IIC of Jenapur police station, Umakanta Nayak.
“A contractor illegally engaged some workers to collect granite stones though he has not obtained any permission from the authorities for lifting stones from the hill. We will take necessary actions against the persons who illegally engaged workers in the illegal quarry work,” said Dharamsala Tehsildar Swagat Das.