ADILABAD: Four workers were buried alive when the roof of an underground mine — SRP 3 in Srirampur division of the Singerani Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) collapsed in Mancherial district on Wednesday. According to official sources, the four deceased workers were identified as timbermen Berra Laxmiah, 50, and V Krishna Reddy, 51, and Badli workers G Satyanarayana Raju, 32, and Renka Chandrashekhar, 32.The mishap occurred when six workers, who were on the first shift, went to the 24th level of SRP 3 underground mine at 10.30 am.
As they were working, the roof suddenly crumbled and crashed on them, killing four of them on the spot.
After being informed about the incident, the SCCL rescue team rushed to the spot and managed to extricate the bodies. Search operations are on for those who may have been trapped inside the mine.
As the SCCL authorities were trying to shift the bodies to a nearby hospital, the family embers of the victims and union leaders obstructed them for some time, alleging that the accident occurred due to their negligence. Later in the day, the management issued a press statement, saying that the kin of the deceased workers would be provided ex-gratia ranging from Rs 70 lakh to Rs 1 crore. The management also said that one member of each victim’s family would be provided a job commensurate with their qualifications.
“We will stand by the kin of the victims in this hour of tragedy,” SCCL Chairman and Managing Director N Sridhar said. “An inquiry has been ordered to look into the circumstances that led to the accident. Action would be taken if anyone is found to be responsible for the tragedy,” he added.Meanwhile, Minister Koppula Eshwar said that the State government would provide support to victims’ families to the extent possible.
Rs 1 crore ex-gratia, job for kin of deceased
The SCCL management announced that the kin of the deceased would be provided ex-gratia ranging from Rs 70 lakh to Rs 1 crore and a job to one member of each victim’s family