Bodies of 2 miners found, search for another afoot in Odisha

13 workers belonging to a private company were working at the mine when the mishap took place in which nine were rescued, four were trapped in the debris.
Debris at the mishap site in Bharatpur open cast coal mine
Debris at the mishap site in Bharatpur open cast coal mine

TALCHER: Bodies of two trapped miners were recovered from the debris at the mishap site in Bharatpur open cast coal mine even as Talcher coalfield remained closed for the second day on Friday.

The bodies were of Rashmiranjan Behera (supervisor) and Raj Kishore Mahapatra (pump khalasi). On Wednesday, rescue teams had retrieved the body of a miner from the debris following earth dump collapse at the mine belonging to Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL).

ALSO READ: Search for missing workers continues at Odisha's Bharatpur mine

Of the four trapped miners, bodies of three have been retrieved so far and search is on to locate the remaining one. All the three miners, whose bodies have been found, belong to the local village.

On Tuesday night, 13 workers belonging to a private company were working at the mine when the mishap took place. While nine were rescued, four were trapped in the debris.

Meanwhile, massive operation is underway to clear the debris from the mishap site. A workforce of 200 people with nearly 10 heavy machines and 35 NDRF teams have been engaged in the search operation. Four platoons of police force have also been deployed at the site. 

ALSO READ: One dead, three trapped as coal mine caves in Odisha's Angul district

The operation is being supervised by Sub-Collector Paresh Nayak and SDPO H K Panda. General managers MG Bramhapurkar, PB Reddy, RV Ringe and Murari Mishra are also at the site to supervise rescue work.

On the day, former MP Rudra Narayan Pany visited the accident site and held talks with the authorities. He demanded adequate compensation to families of the victims and proper safety measures at the coal mines.

Meanwhile, supply of coal from Talcher coalfield to power stations remained suspended as all the mines have been closed due to the stir by local BJP workers demanding safety certificate from the district administration of all coal mines and compensation of Rs 50 lakh to the relatives of victims.

Talcher coalfield produces about three lakh tonne of coal per day. The MCL authorities have intimated the state government about the coal mine bandh and its repercussions.

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