Nine coal miners were injured and four are feared dead after a dump slide at an opencast mine in Talcher coalfields, an official said on Wednesday, 24 July. One miner’s death has been reported by news agency Reuters.
The coal miners were working at the mine of the Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) when the accident occurred at around 11:30 pm on Tuesday, trapping the 13 workers, an MCL spokesperson said.
A portion of earth broke loose due to a strata failure, he also added
Fellow miners and rescue teams pulled out nine workers from the mine and shifted them to the company's hospital in Talcher, he said.
Rescue operations were on to rescue the other four miners.
Senior MCL officials have rushed to Talcher in Angul district to oversee the rescue operation, he said.
Meanwhile, locals said the accident happened due to a landslide after a controlled blast at the mine.
(With inputs from ANI, Reuters)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)