Muscat - Arab today
A water pipe collapse which left one worker dead was not a government project, officals have confirmed.
In an official notice, the Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW) gave details regarding the accident last Tuesday, which resulted in the death of a worker after the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance spent hours attempting to rescue him.
"We would like to clarify that the incident was a result of the construction work that a contracting company was performing as a service project in Ibra'a. This work has no relation with PAEW projects.
"The construction work caused the removal of integral soil support structures in the ground, which was not in accordance with the necessary licencing and regulations that are imposed by the PAEW.
"This action caused some landfall below the tube, and resulted in the separation of one end of the tube from the other. The tube was then flooded with overwhelming amounts of water, which caused some damage, as reported by related authorities."
Emergency crews raced to Ibra last Tuesday morning after reports that workers were trapped under soil and rubble following the collapse.
They spent most of the morning digging up a water pipe in a frantic race to get to one worker who reportedly fell into it.
The workers digging in Ibra accidentally struck the water pipe earlier that day, according to reports.
The Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance confirmed the death and tweeted: "At this time, the trapped worker has been pulled out from under the collapsed area, but was found dead."
The Public Authority for Electricity and Water also emphasised that all projects must follow strict rules for construction work.
"The PAEW would like to stress the importance of not launching any project before obtaining the necessary licenses, and that every project must keep to strict guidelines and regulations put forth by the Authority."
"The regulations must be adhered to from before the start of the project, and throughout its completion, so that the construction work would not affect water flow underground, and so lives and property can be protected."