Bariput Hill Collapse: Army Intensifies Rescue Operation

Jeypore: The Army Engineering Team of Ranchi, which had begun its operation on Thursday to rescue the two JCB operators trapped inside a heap of huge boulders of a hill at Bariput village in Odisha’s Koraput district since May 31, is expected to complete its mission on Friday.

The team, which had arrived at Bariput on June 6, began its work on the next day after the arrival of an 11-member team from Ranchi in the afternoon. The team dislodged two big boulders from the mishap site after blasting them with the help of explosives. The remaining boulders, which could not be dislodged by the heavy-duty JCB machines, would be blasted in the afternoon on Friday, sources said.

Meanwhile, the district administration and the police have asked the people to stay away from a radius of one km from the site and keep the domestic animals from entering into the area. Besides, prohibitory order under Section 144 has been clamped in the area.

The district administration had sought the help of the Army due to non-availability of machinery required to remove the huge boulders.

The two JCB operators—Ghanashyam Guru of Deogarh and Sanjay Dash of Athagarh area in Cuttack district— were engaged in excavating boulders in the ongoing Telengiri Irrigation project in Bariput village when the hill suddenly caved in around 5 pm on May 31.