RANCHI: A toxic carbon monoxide leak in Dhanbad’s Kenduadih area has claimed another life, taking the death toll to three.
The victim is identified as 46-year-old Surendra Singh, died on Tuesday after falling ill due to gas leakage near Children’s Park. The incident is linked to an underground fire that has been active in the region for more than a century.
According to his younger brother, Lok Nath Singh, Surendra Singh was sleeping alone and was found unconscious in the morning. He was immediately taken to Shahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College Hospital (SNMMCH), where doctors declared him brought dead.
Doctors, however, said that the exact cause of death can only be confirmed after the post-mortem report.
The incident triggered public outrage, with family members and local residents blocking the Dhanbad–Karkend main road and staging a protest outside the Kenduadih police station, disrupting traffic for several hours.
The villagers shouted slogans against the BCCL management and remained adamant in their demand for concrete assurances regarding compensation and security.
Local resident Krishna Rawat accused the management of negligence, stating that villagers had warned a week ago that gas levels in the Naya Dhaura area had crossed dangerous limits. They had also requested the injection of nitrogen into the ground through borewells, but the authorities ignored their pleas.
According to Rawat, this was not a natural disaster but “a murder committed by BCCL (Bharat Coking Coal Limited)”. He also warned the coal company that an FIR would be lodged against the negligent officials and that a decisive battle would be waged against the management.
Meanwhile, Putki Circle Officer (CO) Vikas Anand said that the administration was keeping a close watch on the situation.
“Rescue operations and efforts by technical experts are underway,” the CO said. He, however, admitted that despite the situation being described as normal, the third death due to the gas leak was a matter of investigation.
The CO assured that legal action would be taken against those found guilty once the post-mortem report was received.
Local residents, on the other hand, said that the management was offering only empty assurances. On the ground, people were dying due to suffocation caused by the poisonous gas.
Notably, at least two women had died, while several others complained of vomiting and headaches due to the leakage of toxic carbon monoxide gas near Children’s Park in Dhanbad’s Kenduadih area on December 3. The area has been affected by an underground fire for more than a century.
Though efforts are under way to seal the spots from where the leakage is taking place, authorities have appealed to people to vacate the area as a precautionary measure.
According to locals, the impact of the gas is being felt in Rajput Basti, Masjid Mohalla and Officers Colony areas of Kenduadih, home to a population of approximately 10,000. The persistent stench and continuous gas leakage have made life extremely difficult for residents.