Labourers remain trapped in submerged mine

KOLKATA: About 25 labourers, including many from Jharkhand, remained trapped for the fourth day on Saturday in a submerged coal mine near the industrial town of Asansol in West Bengal as rescue operations failed to make much headway.

The mine at Gangtukuli in Purulia district along the West Bengal-Jharkhand border, about 250 km from here, caved in four days back and was flooded trapping the labourers engaged in illegal mining.

The 180-feet deep abandoned mine belongs to the ECL. Union Coal Minister Shibu Soren has reached the spot.

Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) MP from Bankura, Basudeb Acharya, who visited the spot on Saturday said, "I have been told that it is very difficult to carry out the rescue operation. The rescuers said because of submergence and the depth of the mine it is tough for the divers as well. Draining out the water is near impossible even with the help of modern technologies."

"I think this accident happened because of illegal blasting in the area where the coal mafia is dominant," the MP added.

According to information available, the mine was flooded by the overflowing Damodar river.

Illegal mining in the coalfields on the West Bengal-Jharkhand border is rampant. The mine was closed down by the government but illegal mining continued.

About 10 to 12 of the labourers trapped belong to Jharkhand while the rest are from West Bengal.