Two labourers were buried alive during excavation work for the foundation of a multi-storey commercial plaza near Flying Coach Adda at Nageena Chowk, Pakpattan, highlighting serious lapses in construction safety practices.
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Eyewitnesses said the contractors had failed to adopt basic safety measures before allowing workers to dig a 10–12 feet deep trench for the building’s foundation. Three labourers were working inside the trench when a section of the soil wall suddenly collapsed, trapping them under tonnes of sand and concrete debris.
Local passersby managed to pull one labourer out of the trench before the arrival of Rescue 1122. He sustained critical injuries and was shifted to hospital for treatment. However, the remaining two workers were completely buried and could not be rescued in time.
The deceased were identified as Irfan, a resident of 31/SP, and Shafqat of Apna Town, Pakpattan. Medical reports later confirmed that both men suffered severe chest injuries due to the collapse, which proved fatal.
Rescue Safety Officer Abdur Razza told Dawn that it took more than four hours and the efforts of over two dozen rescuers to clear the mud and concrete debris. Heavy machinery, including cranes and tractors, along with assistance from local residents, was used during the recovery operation.
Senior district officials, including Deputy Commissioner Asif Raza, District Police Officer Javed Chadhar, DSP Inamul Haq and Assistant Commissioner Rab Nawaz Matllo, reached the site to supervise the rescue work and assess the situation.
Later in the evening, Pakpattan police registered two cases against the contractors and the building owners for negligence, failure to follow safety protocols and endangering the lives of labourers.
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In a separate incident the same day, a woman was killed and her husband critically injured when their motorcycle collided with a stationary tractor-trolley parked on the roadside near Bunga Hayat. Rescue officials said Naseem Bibi died on the spot, while her husband, Allah Yar, was shifted to DHQ Hospital Pakpattan in critical condition.