Two men buried alive

TANGERANG, West Java (JP): A scraper operator and his assistant were killed instantly when a 12-meter-high mound of dirt collapsed on them in Serpong.

Eye witnesses said yesterday Sahrijal Siregar, 50, and Umar, 27, were operating a scraper when the mound of dirt suddenly collapsed and buried them alive on Thursday. "They screamed for help before they disappeared in the heap of soil," one of the local residents said.

Several people attempted to rescue the men out of the soil as quickly as possible, but the two were dead by the time they managed to get them out.

The victims had been hired by a local businessman, Ukung, to scrape and excavate the land.

Local residents reported the accident to the police, who then rushed the dead bodies to Tangerang hospital.

Police had no idea if the men conducting the land excavation had the necessary permit because most land scraping businesses in Tangerang operated without permits.

Tangerang Regency officials could not be reached for comment on the deadly accident yesterday. (28/sur)