Elderly man dies after falling into abandoned quarry at Angamaly in Keralam

An 80-year-old man was found dead in an abandoned quarry at Karukutty near Angamaly on Wednesday. Varghese K.V. of Kooranthazathuparambil, Karukutty, reportedly drowned in a pit lake formed in the quarry situated in his family property.

According to the first information report registered by the Angamaly police, the man is suspected to have slipped into the water while cutting grass near the quarry. Though he was rushed to the Angamaly taluk hospital, he was declared brought dead.

The incident comes amid long-pending concerns over safety threats posed by abandoned quarries. According to local ward member Shaju Melappilly, the quarry has been dysfunctional for years, and it is filled with water up to around 20 feet.

He said Varghese was suspected to have gone to the spot to clear the bush around a motor pump installed to use water from the quarry. He said there is a compound wall separating the plot from the quarry, and that the panchayat had proposed a project to build a protective wall around portions of the quarry which is accessible from a road nearby.