SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, March 23: Four persons were reportedly killed and six others received major injury during an illegal mining incident today in West Modidih Colliery of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) under Tetulmari police station, around 20 km away from here.
According to unofficial sources, the incident occurred around 5 am and hundreds of surrounding Basti residents were engaged in illegal mining when the mines roof caved in all of sudden in which some of them were crushed under debris containing coal and stone.
Fearing police action, villagers extricated trapped people and took them away for treatment. Four persons reportedly died on the spot. A huge number of coal- loaded sacs were found abandoned near the entrance spot of illegal mining tunnel.
However, coal company officials and officer in-charge of Tetulmari police station Ashish Kumar Yadav denied such an incident happened in the colliery.
BS Mining, an outsourcing company, is operating the colliery. The officials of the outsourcing company also denied the incident and dozed up the illegal mining spot in the morning as the mine’s accident report spread.
