A routine day of hard labour turned into a double tragedy in Balaka when two young construction workers were killed after being trapped inside a concrete mixer.
Balaka Police have confirmed the incident, saying the victims, Chikondi George, 24, and Geoffrey Makawa, 26, died following a fatal workplace accident at a Road Construction Company premises on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, around 3:00 p.m.
According to police spokesperson Inspector Gladson M’bumpha, the two men had reported for duty as usual in the morning and were working as machine operators when a power outage disrupted operations at the site.
Investigations indicate that during the outage, standard procedure required one operator to enter the mixer to remove concrete before it hardened. While the cleaning process was underway, power was restored through a generator, triggering the machine to restart unexpectedly.
Police say the situation turned deadly when one worker, still inside the mixer, was trapped and suffocated as the machine began operating.
In a desperate attempt to help, the second worker reportedly fell into the mixer and was also critically injured.
Both men were rushed to Balaka District Hospital but were pronounced dead while receiving treatment, turning what was meant to be another ordinary work shift into a devastating loss for two families.
The bodies are being kept at Balaka District Hospital mortuary pending post-mortem examinations as investigations continue into possible safety lapses at the construction site.
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