Jharkhand Mine Collapse: 40-50 Workers Believed to be Trapped, Rescue Ops On

A file image of a minefield in Dhanbad, Jharkhand. (PTI)

Lalmatia (Jharkhand): At least 40-50 workers along with some machineries belonging to a private company are believed to be trapped
after a heap of mud caved-in at the entry point of Latmatia mines of Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) in Godda district of Jharkhand, a CISF official said on Friday.

According to initial reports, the on duty CISF sentry is safe but at the time of the cave-in at the Rajmahal Open Cast Mines of Paharia Bhorya site, more than 40 vehicles were inside, the official added.

Rescue operation could not begin due to night fog, the police said.

The locals said that there was crack in the heap of mud which collapsed and blocked the entry point of the mine.

Mining operations were taking place about 200 feet beneath the ground.

The operation to rescue the trapped workers will begin soon but the electric supply to the region has been disrupted, the official added.

A separate team of NDRF personnels have been dispatched from Patna along with additional manpower comprising of one government official, 2 inspectors, 21 CISF from Eastern Coal Field Limited, Sheetalpur, news agency ANI said.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team was likely to reach the spot by noon, officials said.

“The exact number of people and vehicle trapped inside is not known. This could only become clear after the rescue operation starts,” said Harilal Chauhan, Godda Superintendent of Police told IANS.

(With inputs from IANS)