Bhubaneswar: At least 10 people were killed and several others trapped after a pile of waste collapsed over them at an open cast coal mine of state-run Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) in Odisha Saturday, officials said. A probe has been ordered.
The accident occurred around 9 a.m. at the Basundhara mining area at Kulda in Sundergarh district, 450 km from Bhubaneswar, when about 15-20 villagers were allegedly collecting coal shells from the dump illegally.
"Of the 12 people taken out so far, eight were dead while two succumbed on their injuries on way to hospital. Operations will resume tomorrow to locate others who were trapped," Sundergarh District Collector Bhupendra Singh Poonia told IANS.
The waste, also known as overburden, is the material that lies above the coal reserve and is removed before mining and dumped in specified places. Since that waste contains some low grade coal shells, some people often sneak into the prohibited area of the mining zone to collect these from the dumps.
"We have repeatedly been warning them not to do so because it is dangerous," said MCL spokesman Dikken Mehra.
MCL chairman-cum-managing director A.N. Sahay said he announced a compensation of Rs.3 lakh each for the families of those killed. "MCL will also bear the cost of the treatment of those injured," he told IANS.
The company management has also announced Rs.10,000 each to meet the expenses of the last rites of the dead.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced a compensation of Rs.2 lakh for each of the families of those killed.
He also directed the revenue divisional commissioner of the region to probe the incident and submit a report, said an official in the chief minister's office.
Comments
| Quick linksNews
National
International
Regional
Politics
Education & Career
Business
Science & Technology
Health
Views & Analysis
The Funny Side
© 2012 Awaz Multimedia & Publications. All rights reserved.
GJM warns of bloodshed after Mamata's ultimatumThe Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) Saturday demanded West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee take back her 72-hour ultimatum on withdrawing the shutdown in Darjeeling ...... More
Also Read: Mamata gives GJM 72-hour ultimatum to withdraw Darjeeling shutdown
Sindhu loses semifinal, wins historic bronzeP.V. Sindhu's dream-run ended in the World Badminton Championships after she lost her women's singles semifinal to Thai Ratchanok Intanon and settled for a bronze medal here Saturday....... More
There is a series of communal riots of low intensity happening in north India. The latest was in Tonk Rajasthan; where one person died due to police firing. In Meerut some mischievous elements tried to tease Muslims at evening prayers of Ramazan, playing loud music in front of the mosque leading to communal tension. In Allahabad...... More
Canshala: A school of hope for kids with cancerIt's called Canshala and is an island of peace and learning for a group of ailing children for whom education had, at one stage, become a distant dream due to their treatment for life-threatening cancer. The children mingle with normal children in the ..... More
