Two labourers from Patagondi village in Gokak taluk lost their lives after being buried under mud while digging a trench for drinking water pipelines near the service road at Kotekere along National Highway-4 in Belagavi on April 16.
The deceased have been identified as Basavaraj Sarave (38) and Maruti Sarave (20) in one report, and as Basavaraj and Shivalinga in another. The men were engaged in work commissioned under the 24-hour water supply project, contracted by a private agency on behalf of the Belagavi City Corporation.
The incident occurred when the earth suddenly caved in while the labourers were working inside the trench near Gandhi Nagar. A third worker managed to survive the mudslide, and efforts were initially underway to rescue him.
Locals and emergency personnel, including fire and police teams from Mal Maruti police station, rushed to the scene and used an excavator to retrieve the bodies. Despite being rushed to the Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS), both men succumbed to their injuries. Their bodies were later shifted to the BIMS mortuary.
The families of the deceased expressed outrage over the absence of senior civic officials and the contractor at the site. They refused to take custody of the bodies until Belagavi City Corporation Commissioner B Shubha or responsible authorities arrived.
Relatives of the workers said they had migrated to Belagavi for daily wages of ₹600. Shivalinga, who was unmarried, was reportedly the sole earner for his family, while Basavaraj was married and had three children. The families demanded justice and accountability from the concerned authorities.
