Bangladeshi worker dies after being crushed by bags of cement

A 24-year-old Bangladeshi construction worker has died after being crushed by a falling “jumbo bag” of cement.

According to the police, the accident happened at a construction site near Hulhumalé central park around 5.30pm on Wednesday. The young man had succumbed to his injuries by the time he was taken to hospital, police said.

Initially, local media reported that the man had died after being hit by a falling bag of cement, but a police spokeswoman told the Maldives Independent that the man had been hit by a construction jumbo bag which was loaded with several bags of cement.

In another near-fatal accident on the same construction site managed by Jaah Construction, a construction lift used to hoist building materials up the seven-storey building, malfunctioned and injured a worker.

Police said they are investigating both incidents, as our other agencies.

Meanwhile, in an unrelated incident late on Wednesday night, a 76-year-old Maldivian woman was injured after falling down a ventilation shaft. She suffered injuries to her head and a broken leg.

Police are investigating the circumstances that led to the accident.

Construction is never ending in Malé, one of the most densely populated cities in the world. However, numerous construction site accidents have been blamed on inadequate safety guidelines and building regulations. 

In December, a seven-year-old Bangladeshi girl was killed after being hit by a falling bag of cement in the capital. Prosecutors have charged several individuals over the death of the girl, and W Construction, which operated the site, was fined for negligence.