Labourer killed, another injured as soil collapses on Pune-Solapur highway at Rajwadi in Indapur

A labourer was killed and another injured on Friday, October 30, 2026, when soil and debris collapsed at a construction site on the Pune-Solapur national highway at Rajwadi in Indapur taluka. The dead labourer was 25 years old and the injured man is 30.

The accident took place between about 10 am and 10.15 am near the Rajwadi flyover, where a retaining wall was being built along the highway. Six labourers were at the spot. Three of them had gone to have tea, while the rest were working at the site.

When a large mound of soil suddenly fell, two labourers were buried under it and panic broke out. Fellow workers and people nearby began rescue work without delay. After considerable effort, one labourer was pulled out of the debris.

Relief and rescue work was also under way from the administration's side. The rescued labourer was sent to Indapur for further treatment. The other labourer could not be saved.

The deceased has been identified as Mashrubal Sheikh, 25. The injured labourer is Narim Riyazuddin Akhtar, 30. Both are reportedly natives of Malda district in West Bengal.

Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne reached the spot on receiving news of the accident. He took stock of the situation and sought details of the incident.

The accident has caused alarm along the highway stretch, and the question of labourers' safety at construction sites has been raised once again. Residents are asking how such a large quantity of soil suddenly fell while work on the retaining wall was under way, and what the actual cause was. They also want to know whether the necessary safety arrangements had been made for the workers and whether safety rules were being followed at the site.

Citizens have demanded a thorough inquiry into the accident and that responsibility be fixed. They have also demanded that worker safety measures be strictly enforced at all construction sites along the highway. People say the accident has served as a fresh reminder that workers' lives matter more than the pace of development work.