Bengaluru, July 3 : The Karnataka Police on Friday arrested three persons in connection with the stone quarry boulder collapse at Madapattana village in Bengaluru South taluk that claimed the lives of seven workers.

The arrested accused have been identified as Panduranga, owner of Sai Ram Crusher; Lokesh, the quarry in-charge; and Raju, the local in-charge.

According to the police, the three have been taken into custody for questioning. Panduranga had taken Basaveshwara Crusher on lease and was operating the quarry. A case has been registered under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) based on a complaint filed by worker Gopikrishnan.

Police are also likely to question Uday Shankar, the owner of Kaveri Crusher, and D. Anandaswamy, the owner of Basaveshwara Crusher, as part of the ongoing investigation.

The tragedy occurred early Thursday morning at the Kaveri Crusher unit in Madapattana village under the jurisdiction of the Tavarekere Police Station when a massive boulder rolled down from an upper quarry and crashed onto workers at a lower quarry.

Seven workers were killed in the incident, while five others sustained injuries. One of the injured remains in critical condition, and four workers managed to escape.

The deceased were identified as Ramu, Rajpal Singh, Satyanarayan Singh, Ram Avtar Singh, Rajendra Prasad, Nuhar and Bhuvaneshwar Singh, all aged between their 30s and 40s. According to police, one of the deceased hailed from Yadgir district in Karnataka, while the others were from Madhya Pradesh. One of the injured workers is from Chhattisgarh.

Central Zone IGP S. Girish said the accident involved two adjoining quarries owned by different entities.

"There are two quarries at the location. The upper quarry belongs to one owner, while the lower quarry is owned by another. Work was underway at both sites early this morning. A JCB excavator operating at the upper quarry moved boulders, one of which rolled downhill and fell onto the workers at the quarry below," he said.

"A total of 16 workers were at the lower quarry. Seven of them died on the spot. Five have been admitted to the hospital, one of whom is in critical condition, while four others managed to escape," Girish added.

A worker from Tamil Nadu, Gopi, who narrowly escaped the accident, alleged that workers at the upper quarry failed to warn those working below before moving the rocks.

"Those working above should alert the workers below, but no one informed us. I have been working here for the past eight years. Four of us managed to escape. If they had warned us, we would have known about the danger. A stone hit me, but I still managed to run away. Around 15 to 30 people were working at the site. Tractors and excavators were mangled in the incident," he said.

The force of the boulder impact crushed the victims beneath the rocks, making identification difficult. Police said some bodies were mutilated beyond recognition. A tractor, a tipper and other heavy machinery at the site were also extensively damaged.

Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, reacting to the incident on Thursday, said a detailed report had been sought from officials.

"A tragic incident has taken place at two adjoining quarries on Magadi Road. I have received information that seven persons have died. The bodies have been recovered, and senior officers have visited the spot. It has been ascertained that no blasting took place. I will receive a detailed report. It is yet to be determined whether the quarries were operating legally or illegally. The prescribed rules must be followed," the Chief Minister said.

He added that action would be initiated after the report is received and compensation would be announced once complete details are available.

Karnataka Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka visited the injured workers at the hospital on Thursday and alleged that the tragedy was the result of negligence on the part of the state government, while demanding accountability for the loss of seven lives.

/IANS