Four workers died after being buried under a coal slurry in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district on Saturday, a police officer said.
The accident took place at Munidih coal sink in the Bharat Coke Company Limited (BCCL) command area.
“The bodies of the four workers were recovered from under the rubble during the rescue operation,” Botki Police Station in-charge Waqar Hussain told PTI.
The accident occurred when the workers were loading coal clay into trucks, police said, adding that a large piece of clay fell and trapped several workers underneath it at the time.
The deceased have been identified as Manik Puri, Dinesh Puri, Deepak Puri and Helal Gopi.
Meanwhile, the family members of the deceased and local villagers placed the bodies in front of the sink gate and started protesting.
They demanded compensation and job opportunities for dependents and action against those responsible for the accident.
A similar tragedy occurred in Jharkhand a year ago
Last year, four people were killed after part of an abandoned coal mine collapsed during alleged illegal mining operations in Jharkhand’s Ramgarh district. The incident occurred in the early hours of the morning in Karma area under Kojo Police Station, where villagers were reportedly mining coal.
Officials said four bodies had been recovered from the site, while some villagers had already taken away some of the bodies before police arrived.
The collapsed mine belongs to Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), with authorities noting that illegal mining activity continues despite restrictions. The incident sparked protests by villagers and relatives of the victims outside the CCL project office.
Local police confirmed that the mining activity was unauthorized, and political leaders called for a high-level investigation, alleging negligence and continued illegal coal mining in the area.
