Three migrant labourers dead in mudslip at construction site in the Nilgiris; probe on

Three migrant workers lost their lives during a mudslide at a construction site near Coonoor in the Nilgiris on Saturday evening. The dead were identified as Najibul Haque, 24; Obidur Rahman, 25; and Hadil Hakkim, 38, from Murshidabad in West Bengal. Police personnel investigating the incident said the three men were digging a hole under a steep slope at the construction site at Odhanatti near Jagathalli, a few kilometers from Coonoor Town. As they worked, the hillside weakened and debris and mud fell on them. Following the incident, construction workers and citizens mobilized to save the workers trapped under the mud. Earthmoving machines were used to speed up rescue efforts. One person was rescued alive, while the other two died, police said. One person was rescued from the scene and taken to Coonoor Government Hospital but died on the way. The police, who recorded the incident, are investigating whether the land owners and those responsible for the construction project received the appropriate permits for the work and whether they complied with the safety measures prescribed at the construction site. This is the second fatal incident in the past month where construction workers died due to accidents at a construction site in the Nilgiris. In December 2025, two men lost their lives when an illegal well under construction collapsed on them near Kil Kotagiri.