Lagatar24 Desk
Asansol, Oct 13: A coal mine in West Bengal’s Paschim Bardhaman district collapsed while undergoing illegal extraction, leading to the tragic loss of three lives, with 10 more individuals feared to be trapped, as per officials’ statements on Friday.
Police suspect the incident occurred during the unauthorized coal extraction at Narayankuri colliery, which is a part of Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL), situated in the Egra gram panchayat within the jurisdiction of Raniganj police station. This location is approximately 18 kilometers away from Asansol.
The deceased have been identified as Dinesh Ruidas (38), Sumir Bauri (17), and Surajit Sen (21), all local residents, a police officer said. The officer also mentioned that search and rescue efforts are currently in progress to locate the individuals who are still unaccounted for.
“Around 25-30 people illegally entered the mine on Wednesday afternoon. The mine caved in an hour later. While some managed to come out of it, others got trapped inside,” the officer stated.
An investigation into the incident has been initiated by Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL).
A team headed by Irfan Ahmed Ansari, the Director General of Mines Safety for Region 1 in Sitarampur, conducted a site visit.
“This is a legal mine but the incident took place when coal was being extracted illegally. Three people have died and several others are feared trapped,” he said.
