With 61 killed in 2017, mine safety a major cause of concern: Data

Even as the country pools in all possible resources for the rescue operation of workers stuck in a coal mine in Meghalaya, data shared in Parliament shows mine safety has been a cause for concern for a long time. Based on data available for 2017, at least 61 workers lost their lives in coal mines alone.

Overall, 129 lives were lost in fatal accidents across mines — involving coal, metal and oil in 2017. State-run Coal India, the country’s largest miner, reported 37 fatalities in 34 incidents in 2017, against 56 deaths in 2016, according to the company’s sustainability report.