The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team on Friday, 18 October, recovered the bodies of three miners trapped in an illegal coal mine in Asansol’s Kulti area in West Bengal.
The incident took place on Sunday night when four coal pilferers were extracting coal from the mine, locals said.
After failing to descend in the coal mines due to poisonous gases, the NDRF teams were finally able to start rescue and search operations for the miners on 17 October.
“Police informed us that three persons are trapped in an illegal mine at Aldhi village in Kulti. Our rescue team failed to enter the pit twice due to poisonous gas at the mouth of the pit, which is narrow,” the official told PTI.
While three illegal miners got trapped inside the mine, the fourth managed to escape, the police said.
“The oxygen level inside the mine is very low. There is a lot of carbon dioxide and other toxic gases and it is a hurdle for us to go in. It would be a miracle if the three are alive,” a member of the rescue team earlier told Hindustan Times.
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