Dhanbad illegal mine collapse: Toll reports differ, rescue continues

Reports of the death toll differ after an illegal coal mine collapsed in Katras, Dhanbad, on September 13.

A labour union leader quoted by PTI said three people were killed, while AajTak reported two women had died.

The tunnel roof caved in around 7 am at Keshalpur Kumharpatti while men and women were collecting coal.

Three injured workers were reportedly taken to a nearby nursing home for treatment.

Police began investigating the accident as rescue efforts went on.

Men and women had entered an illegal mine tunnel to cut and collect coal when the upper portion of the tunnel suddenly caved in.

Nearby villagers rushed to the spot and began removing debris using spades and pickaxes before police arrived.

Police reached the site and began investigating the circumstances of the accident.

Reports differed on the toll: a labour union leader quoted by PTI said three people were killed, while AajTak reported the deaths of two women.

Several others were reportedly injured, and three injured workers were said to have been taken to a nearby nursing home.

Locals feared more people could still be trapped under the debris, and rescue efforts were continuing when the first reports were filed.

Illegal coal mining, often done in abandoned or unauthorised tunnels, has long been a safety and law-and-order concern in the Dhanbad coalfield.

Coal from such unauthorised mines is reportedly carried and sold in nearby markets, often on motorcycles.

Collapses in unauthorised tunnels are hard to prevent because the workings are unsupported and unmapped.

The incident has renewed calls from labour groups for stronger enforcement and for alternative livelihoods for people who depend on illegal mining.

Dhanbad is often called India’s coal capital and sits on the Jharia coalfield, one of the country’s most important coking coal reserves.

Legal mining in the region is carried out by Bharat Coking Coal Limited, a Coal India subsidiary, while illegal miners often work in abandoned or unsupervised workings.

Coal mine in Dhanbad (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0