JEDDAH, 16 February 2006 — Two workers died and one was badly injured when a piece of heavy earthmoving equipment fell into the trench where they were working yesterday.
Civil Defense workers rushed to the scene of the accident in Jeddah’s Al-Bawadi district and managed to pull out one survivor.
Civil Defense Department has opened an investigation into the incident.
“Dispatchers received the call around 4 p.m.,” said Lt. Col. Muhammad Al-Ghamdi, head of Civil Defense in Jeddah. “A large digging tractor fell inside a sewage project hole trapping three men working on the project inside.”
He said five pieces of heavy digging equipment were sent to the scene. The hole was being dug to do repairs to a sewage line.
“We used a sound-tracking device that gave us early indications that there was at least one survivor under the rubble,” he said.
The lieutenant colonel said that the loose soil and high water in the hole complicated the rescue, even jeopardizing the lives of the rescuers.
“It was a very delicate operation,” he said. “A part of (the survivor’s) body was trapped under the machinery. A surgeon and an anesthesiologist were called to the location. Treatment began on the spot.”
Al-Ghamdi said action would be taken against any company that does not follow safety regulations.
