Two killed, two feared dead in Jharkhand mine mishap

This, after a roof caved in at a BCCL coal mine in Dhanbad district

Two miners were killed and two were feared dead after a roof caved in at a BCCL coal mine in Dhanbad district, leading to suspension of mining activities at the site.

"One body has been brought out while efforts are on to extricate one more body which is also visible now. Two others, still trapped inside, are also feared dead," Bharat Coking Coal (BCCL) Chairman and Managing Director Tapas Kumar Lahiry told PTI.

Lahiry said the roof of the Basantimata mine in the Chanch/Victoria area caved in at about 11 am during an inspection by colliery officials after the night shift.

Two workers who had gone to give information to the assistant manager and supervisor of the mine were also at the spot, he said.

"The second shift was to commence from 4 pm," he said. "All mining operations have been suspended at the site."

More than 100 people have been pressed into service to undertake rescue operations, he added.

The incident occurred during a break between shifts, Lahiry said, adding that generally about 100 miners work in one shift.

The four employees trapped inside were Heera Lal and Sitaram Majhi, besides Litu Saha and Arup Chatterjee, he said.

"The body of Heera Lal has been extricated while efforts are on to extricate another body," said Asok Sarkar, Director, Technical.

Two workers, B Chouhan and Chanchal Sen, who were in the vicinity, suffered minor injuries and were discharged after first-aid, he added.

Dhanbad-based BCCL, a Coal India subsidiary, accounts for almost 50% of the total prime coking coal requirement of the integrated steel sector.