Odisha, May 17: In a miracle of sorts, a labourer in Odisha was rescued alive after he was stuck in a water pipe for more than six hours. The incident happened in Odisha's Cuttack district which swung the state rescue operation into action. A massive rescue operation was conducted by the government to save the man. The person has been identified as a 50-year-old resident of the area and is a local. His name is Prana Krushna Muduli and he was cleaning the pump house pipe of the Police Colony in Cuttack. According to reports, he was stuck 25 to 30 feet deep into the pipe and the pipe was only three feet in diameter.

Sources say that the incident happened because of the pump operator's ignorance about the presence of Muduli in the pipe. The pump operator switched on the pump while Muduli was still in the pipe and hence the labourer was swept away by the force of water. He was stuck in the pipe as deep as 30 feet due to the force of water. To make matters worse, he was stuck in a crouched position due to which he could not come out by himself from the pipe. The man was rushed to SCB Medical College for health check-up after he was rescued.

The accident has raised questions about the unsafe conditions for workers in construction and infrastructure. According to reports, a rescue team of about 100 workers of the fire department of Cuttack unit of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) worked along with the police to rescue the worker. The prompt and persistent attempt that lasted for six hours saved the man and he is reported to be healthy now.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 17, 2018 06:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).