2 killed, several injured after portion of abandoned mine caves in: Jharkhand MLA

At least two persons were killed and several others were injured after a portion of an abandoned mine collapsed in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district, Nirsa MLA Arup Chatterjee claimed.

Police said they received information about the alleged incident from the local media and have initiated an investigation into it.

The incident took place during illegal mining in an abandoned mine in Mugma area of Eastern Coalfield Limited (ECL), around 40 km from Dhanbad district headquarters, on Sunday, Chatterjee said.


The CPI(ML) Liberation leader claimed that one person died on the spot and another died during treatment at a hospital in neighbouring West Bengal.

He alleged that the police was trying to cover up the incident to conceal the incidence of illegal mining.

Dulmul Koiri said his father, Manoj Koiri (46), a resident of adjoining West Bengal's Paschim Bardhaman district, was among those killed.

Koiri told reporters that a contractor from Jharkhand's Mugma area had brought around 12 labourers from West Bengal for illegal mining.

"Mining started on Sunday morning, but after a while, a portion of the mine collapsed and at least five people were trapped under it," he said.

He alleged that the contractor did not come to the rescue of the labourers.

"Since the labourers were from West Bengal, they were taken back to Kulti and Asansol for treatment," he added.

Nirsa Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Rajat Manik Bakhala said, "The alleged incident is being investigated."

ECL general manager of Mugma area, O P Choubey, told reporters that they were probing the alleged incident.