Alwar: Three young men died and one was critically injured when a landslide occurred in illegal mining pits on the govt hill at Kala Ghata in Raghunathgarh village under Naugaon police station area of Alwar district Thursday. The victims, who had gone to graze goats, were buried under rocks after a massive slide on the hill.The deceased have been identified as Shakeel (25) and Bhabbal (30), both sons of Ilyas, and their relative Zubair (25), son of Pehlu. The fourth victim, Zahid, son of Ramzan, sustained serious injuries and was rushed from Naugaon Hospital to Alwar for advanced treatment. According to eyewitnesses, the four men were grazing goats on the hill and had taken shelter under a tree from the afternoon heat. Suddenly, a large rock mass along with debris fell from a height of nearly 25 feet, trapping them underneath. Villagers rushed to the spot and brought in a JCB to remove the debris. By the time the rescue was carried out, three had already succumbed to injuries. Zahid was pulled out alive but remains critical. Residents of Raghunathgarh said the victims had been laughing and chatting moments before tragedy struck. The sudden collapse of rocks from the illegal mining pits turned the govt hill into a death trap. Police officials, including DSP Sunil Kumar Sharma and SDM Anil Meena, reached the site soon after the incident. The bodies were shifted to the mortuary of Naugaon Hospital for post-mortem. SP Alwar Sudhir Chaudhary confirmed the deaths and said preliminary investigation revealed the four had been sitting on the hillside when the slide occurred.
