Two workers died in an accident at the Gangavaram port in the early hours of Friday. One was an employee of GPL and the other a contract worker. The dead have been identified as B V Ramaraju (43), employee of GPL, and K Mohan Rao (59), a contract employee.

According to the police, the incident took place around 2.10 a.m. when both the workers were standing close to a heap of coal and directing an operation. The coal heap suddenly collapsed and both were buried under the coal.

A Gangavaram port press release said that mechanised equipment was deployed immediately and both the persons were taken out and sent to the King George Hospital here where they were declared dead.

The police said that the coal heap on berth number 3 was part of the cargo that was unloaded from a ship three days ago. While the unloaded cargo was being cleared in a phased manner, another ship was berthed in the same berth.

“Both the employees were directing the operation for the new ship when the heap collapsed on them,” New Port Police Station Inspector Somasekhara Rao said.