ANGUL: The death toll in mine accident in Talcher Coalfields rose to four on Saturday with the recovery of one more body, officials said.
The Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) suspended a senior manager for his alleged negligence that led to the accident.
The mineworkers were killed in a dump slide at Bharatpur opencast mine in Talcher Coalfields on Tuesday.
“The rescue team today found mutilated body parts of another person from the debris. With this recovery, the toll in Tuesday night’s mishap has reached four,” said Angul district Sub-Collector Paresh Nayak.
The victim was identified as Ramesh Das, a security guard, hailing from Nakeipasi village, Nayak said.
Nine injured workers were rescued immediately after the accident and are undergoing treatment at the company’s hospital in Talcher.
While bodies of Supervisor Rashmi Ranjan Behera and Pump Khalasi Raj Kishore were recovered on Friday, the body of Pupun Biswal, a worker of the contract firm, was found on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the MCL said it has suspended a senior manager of the mine, following the deaths of workers in the accident.
“V K Singh, Senior Manager (Mining), Bharatpur open cast mine, has been placed under suspension with immediate effect in connection with strata failure that triggered a massive landslide in the mine on Tuesday night,” a senior official said.
Following the accident, coal production in all the mines of Talcher Coalfield area remained suspended for fourth consecutive day on Saturday.
An inquiry committee, under the supervision of the general manager (safety and rescue) of the MCL, has started a probe to ascertain the cause of strata failure.