At least one man died and two more were injured in a rockfall at an illegal quarry in the Companiganj District of Sylhet, Bangladesh, on Thursday 2 March 2017. The man has been identified as Yeakub Ali, 22, of Purba Narayanpara village. The accident happened on a quarry on the Shah Arefin Tila hill, on which at least two other fatal accidents have happened already this year.
An illegal quarry on Shah Arefin Tila hill in Compahiganj District. Daily Star.
Illegal quarrying for stone used in the building industry is a major problem in Sylhet, with hills and river beds the usual targets. The situation has caused major environmental issues in the region, with a number of hills having disappeared completely. The illegal nature of the quarries adds to the dangerous nature of the work; the quarries not only lack any form of health and safety management, they are often also active in the hours of darkness without lighting in order to avoid detection.
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