At least three including one child killed and several others are feared trapped after a portion of BCCL (Bharat Coking Coal Limited) open illegal coal mine collapsed in the Dhanbad district of the state on Friday. 

 

 

 

Sanjeev Kumar, senior superintendent of police (SSP), Dhanbad, said, “Portion of BCCL (Bharat Coking Coal Limited) open mine collapsed. One body has been recovered. A number of deaths are being verified. We are waiting for BCCL's report. Action will be taken according to the report.”

 

 

 

 

Reports sugges that the local villagers were engaged in illegal coal mining at the site when the mine caved in. "With the help of the locals, three persons were brought out from the debris and taken to a hospital where doctors declared them dead," an eyewitness said.

 

According to a report by India Today, hundreds of people were present inside the mine when its roof collapsed, triggering concerns that the death toll might increase. The illegal mining was being done at ATDev Prabha Outsourcing company. When the roof collapsed, the panic-stricken workers tried to vacate the site in a rush, leading to a fatal stampede. A total of five people sustained injuries, and they were taken to a nearby hospital by the authorities.

 

 

Illegal mining activities have been widespread in open and abandoned coal mines in Jharkhand. In March, there were reports of two incidents of mines caving-in in Hazaribagh.

 

The first incident occurred at the West Modidih colliery of Bharat Coking Coal Ltd, located within the jurisdiction of the Tetulmari police station in Dhanbad. During illegal mining, the mine wall collapsed, resulting in the death of four individuals and injuries to several others.

 

On March 25, a labourer was tragically buried alive while illegally mining coal in the closed mine at the Tapin Colliery of Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) in Hazaribagh. The mine collapsed, burying the worker deep under the debris