SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Aug 24: One person was killed and two others, including a young girl, were seriously injured in an illegal mining accident at East Basuriya Colliery, under the Kusunda Area of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), about 20 km from the district headquarters, on Sunday morning.
Police officials at the East Basuriya outpost, as well as colliery authorities, denied having any information about the incident.
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According to local residents, the accident occurred around 7 am when about half a dozen villagers were engaged in illegal mining. The roof of the mine reportedly collapsed, trapping three people under the debris. Other locals managed to pull them out and bring them back to the settlement.
Chhotu Bhuyan died on the spot, while Puja Kumari and Badha Bhuyan sustained serious injuries and were admitted to the hospital.
However, fearing police action, the family of the deceased claimed that Chhotu Bhuyan had died in an accident unrelated to illegal mining.
East Basuriya Colliery is an operational mine of BCCL, where Libra, an outsourcing company, is engaged in coal extraction.
