Accident at illegal Dhanbad mine kills 5; SIT begins probe
India Today
Atleast five people were reportedly killed after an accident at an illegal coal mine in Jharkhand's Dhanbad on Tuesday. An SIT probe has begun in the matter.
Atleast five people were reportedly killed after an illegal coal mine in Jharkhand's Dhanbad caved in on Tuesday. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Superintendent of Police (Dhanbad-Rural) Reeshma Ramesan has launched a probe into the accident.
The incident took place at ECL Mugma area of Nirsa block of Dhanbad on Tuesday. The sealed coal mine caved in after a mining equipment fell from a height of 20 feet.
While Dhanbad Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Singh confirmed that four women and one man had died while picking coal at the Eastern Coalfields’ open cast mine in the Gopinathpur area of Dhanbad.
He rejected news reports of more accidents and deaths from other coal mine sites.
During a press conference at the collectorate, the deputy commissioner said that the local people used to pick coal from the Gopinathpur coal mine. This mine was closed two years ago and was deemed unsafe.
Further, Singh said the responsibility of the mining area rests with the companies managing the coal mines. The deputy commissioner said the management should ban the entry of outsiders into the mining area.
He said that coal companies have security personnel and CISF. "If the colliery management feels the need for the cooperation of the police, then the police will always cooperate," he said.
