Jharkhand News: Three people died, and four others were injured after a coal store (coal mass) collapsed at the Kathara Colliery of the CCL Kathara area, Bermo in the Bokaro district, Jharkhand on Wednesday night. The tragic incident occurred when the ground where coal was stored caved in around 2:30 am.

All three deceased were women. Seven people were buried under debris in the accident. After first aid, the injured were referred to another hospital for better treatment.

 

Victims Had Gone To Collect Coal For Fuel

The deceased were identified as the wife, Pushpa Devi; Gallu Yadav's wife; and Vishwanath's wife, Kaushalya Devi. According to Jagran.com, they had gone to collect coal to use as fuel for domestic purposes. None of the seven victims was associated with Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), a subsidiary of Coal India Limited. An official statement on the incident is awaited.

Three Illegal Miners Injured In Dhanbad

Illegal coal mining or coal picking often leads to such accidents as locals ignore safety measures and authorities' instructions. Recently, on September 13, three people allegedly engaged in illegal mining suffered injuries at a mine of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district following subsidence.

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The subsidence, which allegedly occurred due to illegal mining, took place in the Kushalpur Kumarpatti opencast mine under Ramkanali police outpost.

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Ramkanali police outpost in-charge Alisha Kumari said that three people who sustained injuries were admitted to a hospital and their condition is reported to be stable.

However, coal workers union leader Vimlesh Dubey claimed that three people, including two women, died after the land subsidence. It is reported that locals used to enter through tunnels illegally built to extract coal. The BCCL said that the coal PSU in collaboration with CISF, is undertaking "preventive and enforcement actions" to address the issue of illegal coal mining in the area and the associated risk to life and property.

CISF Senior Commandant had sent a letter on September 9 to the Station House Officer (SHO) of Ramkanali Police Station regarding the illegal mining activities in the area, the BCCL said in a statement.

(With Inputs From Rajnish Prasad/PTI)