Two Railway Engineers Killed After Earth Collapse at Under-Construction Site in Kota

A major construction tragedy unfolded in Rajasthan’s Kota district on Thursday night when two railway engineers lost their lives after a massive portion of earth collapsed at an under-construction railway underpass near Dara Ghati on National Highway-52 . The incident occurred during ongoing work on a railway underbridge project aimed at easing traffic congestion in the region.

The deceased were identified as Prabhat Singh , a junior engineer, and Sanjay Jha , a senior section engineer. According to railway officials, the accident took place around 8 pm while block-fixing and inspection work was underway at the construction site. Soon after labour activity ended for the day, the two engineers reportedly entered the excavation zone to inspect the work when a large mound of soil suddenly caved in, trapping them beneath heavy debris.

Panic spread across the site as workers and officials launched an immediate rescue operation using earthmovers and JCB machines. Both engineers were pulled out within minutes and rushed to a nearby hospital. However, doctors declared them brought dead due to severe injuries caused by the collapse. Officials confirmed that no other labourers were trapped in the incident.

Railway PRO Ravindra Lakhara said the engineers were shifted to the hospital within 15 minutes of the accident, but their injuries proved fatal. Local police, railway authorities and administrative officials rushed to the spot soon after the collapse and began an investigation into the cause of the incident.

Preliminary reports suggest the cave-in may have been triggered by sudden soil movement during the underpass construction work, although officials said the exact reason would only be known after a detailed technical inquiry . The incident has once again brought focus on safety standards at large infrastructure project sites, particularly during excavation and underpass construction work.

The bodies of the two engineers were kept in the mortuary for postmortem examinations on Friday. The tragedy has sent shockwaves through the railway and engineering community, with colleagues and locals mourning the loss of two officials who died while on duty.