Horrific mining accident in Obra area of Sonbhadra, one dead due to mountain collapse and fear of many laborers being buried 300 feet below. SDRF-NDRF rescue continues. Serious questions raised on ignoring mining safety standards and illegal mining.
Late Saturday evening, the silence of Obra area of Sonbhadra was broken when a large part of the hill in the Cati Markundi mining area suddenly cracked. Within a few moments, the workers present there got buried under the debris and the sounds of screaming got lost in the darkness. This accident is not just an accident, but has emerged as a cruel proof of the negligence and corruption that has been going on in the mining sector for years.
1 confirmed dead, 15–20 workers feared buried
The administration swung into action immediately after the incident and the rescue operation continued throughout the night. According to the information, the workers are trapped under the debris about 300 feet below, due to which the rescue work has become very challenging. Heavy rocks, depth and darkness—all these conditions are making the relief work more difficult. Teams of SDRF, NDRF, police and district administration at the spot are continuously trying to reach the workers by removing the debris.
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FIR lodged against three including mining owner, senior officials present at the spot
Seeing the seriousness of the accident, Vindhyachal Division Commissioner Rajesh Prakash, IG RP Singh, NDRF DIG and many senior officials are present at the spot. An FIR has been registered against three people including the mine owner for this accident that took place in Krishna Mining Works of Obra police station area. It is clear that ignoring safety standards has been a major reason for this accident.
Mining was going on disregarding safety standards
Preliminary investigation has revealed that safety rules were being blatantly violated at the place where the accident occurred.
- Explosion to a depth of 300 feet
- Continuous mining on dangerous slopes
- Lack of inspection process
Local people had warned many times that a major accident could happen here, but neither the mining company nor the administration showed seriousness in this regard.
Dangerous game going on in hundreds of legal and illegal leases
Sonbhadra is one of the largest mining districts in the country. Here:
- Hundreds of legal and illegal mining leases active
- unsupervised blasting
- Workers don’t even have safety equipment
- Only cosmetic inspection in many mines
It is alleged that the illegal mining mafia flouts the rules and the authorities refrain from taking action.
Rescue continues, efforts intensified to rescue workers
At present, the joint rescue operation of SDRF and NDRF teams is going on continuously. The priority of the administration is to safely rescue the workers buried under the debris. Local people are also waiting for some ray of hope at the incident site.
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