Rescuers are trying to pull out the men who fell into the pit after the ground caved in
A firefighter was killed after falling into a pit while trying to rescue a child who fell into a hole at a water pipe construction area in Pune on Sunday, news agency ANI reported. Another firefighter and two people at the rescue site also fell into the pit after the ground they were standing on caved in.
Three of them including the firefighter were pulled out, but he died. One person and the child are still trapped, officials said.
The area in Dapodi in Pune was dug up to install drain pipes. As night fell, the rescuers lit up floodlights and brought in heavy machines for the rescue operation.
Ten fire trucks and a team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are helping in rescue operations.
"The 15-foot deep trench was dug to lay a sewer line in Dapodi. The child fell in and three firefighters were rushed there after we were alerted. However, during the operation, the soil around caved in, trapping all four. Two firemen have been rescued. Efforts are on to get the other two out as well," a municipal agency official said, according to news agency Press Trust of India.