Two migrant workers from Odisha’s Ganjam district died and three others were injured after a hydraulic crane allegedly fell at a construction site in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, on Thursday, according to a report by the Times of India. The incident has put the safety risks faced by migrant workers at construction sites back in focus.
The deceased were identified as Santosh Pradhan, 29, from Tambapur in Patrapur block, and K Siba, 31, from Chiladi in Chikiti block. The three injured workers are undergoing treatment, although the report did not provide their names or details about the severity of their injuries.
The families of the two deceased workers appealed to the Ganjam district administration to arrange for the bodies to be brought back to their villages for the last rites. The request highlights the administrative responsibilities that arise when workers die away from their home districts, particularly when families need assistance with documentation, transport and coordination across state borders.
Subhalaxmi Behera, labour officer in Berhampur, said field staff had spoken to the families on Friday. “The post-mortem was conducted on Friday. The bodies are expected to reach their respective villages on Saturday morning after all paperwork,” she said, according to the report.
The report identifies the incident as involving a hydraulic crane at a construction site but does not provide the name of the project, contractor or employer. It also does not state what caused the crane to fall, whether the equipment was being operated at the time, or whether any safety inspection or investigation had been ordered by the authorities in Andhra Pradesh.
Those details will be important in establishing whether the deaths resulted from equipment failure, unsafe site conditions, operational errors or shortcomings in construction-site supervision. The available account confirms the casualties and the arrangements for returning the bodies, but does not establish responsibility for the accident.
For Ganjam, the incident also reflects the practical difficulties faced by families when migrant workers are injured or killed in other states. The immediate response described by the labour department has centred on contact with the families, post-mortem procedures and the transportation of the bodies. Further information from the construction-site authorities and the relevant labour and police departments in Guntur would be needed to clarify the accident’s circumstances and the action that follows.
The bodies were expected to reach the workers’ respective villages on Saturday morning after completion of the paperwork, while the three injured workers remained under treatment.
