In pictures: Rescue operations in Oman to reach Indian workers buried alive

Six Indian labourers who died in Oman during heavy rains when they were buried alive at an excavation site for a water pipeline project, were identified as Indian nationals emergency services said Tuesday.

Workers were buried alive after heavy rain flooded the construction site they were working at.

Officials at the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA) revealed that although rescue teams had managed to reach them, the workers were unfortunately found dead.

The six were working on a section of a pipe that was 14 metres below the ground at a piping project in Seeb, when they were trapped under mud and water.

The General Federation of Oman Trade Unions called for an investigation to "clarify the circumstances behind the incident and for the necessary legal procedures" to follow.

It took rescue workers about 12 hours to recover the bodies after pumping the water out, the authority said.