Ibri mishap: All 14 bodies found as search operations end

Muscat: The death toll in the Ibri marble quarry collapse incident went up to 14 with the recovery of all bodies that were trapped under the rubble on Saturday.

The Civil Defence Authority (CDAA) said that after seven days of strenuous fieldwork, the search and rescue teams of the Civil Defense and Ambulance Authority have completed their operations.

As four people were also injured in the incident. CDAA called for the necessity of exercising and adhering to safety guidelines to avoid such incidents in the future.

Last week, the Inspector-General of Police and Customs and members of the National Council for Emergency Management visited the accident site in Al Dhahirah Governorate to find out the progress made in search and rescue operations to find and rescue if any more people have been trapped under the rubble.

The Civil Defence and Ambulance Authority (CDAA) earlier said search operations were hampered due to rockslides that continued at the site, where 55 workers were involved in the excavation work.

With several Pakistan expatriates among the victims, the country's embassy in Muscat said it is coordinating with host authorities in the search and rescue operation. It added that two officers of the Embassy visited Ibri and met the aggrieved families and workers. The Embassy offered complete support and ensured that the formalities for the repatriation of dead bodies will be completed at the earliest, it added.

“More than 140 Pakistani workers, besides other South Asians work at the marble quarry, some of whom are associated with the company for the last 20 years. The work at the site has been halted and the company has provided food and shelter to all the workers,” it said.