Bengal: Two workers die in mine accident

Two contractual workers died during a refurbishment activity at an underground mine of Eastern Coalfields Ltd in West Bengal’s Paschim Bardhaman district on Tuesday, an official said.

The mine was not in operation, he said.

The incident occurred around noon at Chinakuri Mine No. 1 in Sodepur area in Ranigunj during the refurbishment of an old headgear linked to a shaft used to transport miners underground.

''The repair work, scheduled for this afternoon, took a tragic turn when the girders supporting the structure collapsed, causing a free fall for two contractual workmen who were anchored to their safety belts. Sadly, both workers lost their lives in the accident,'' an ECL spokesperson said.

The pit is around 2,200 feet deep, sources said.

The authorities swiftly responded, recovering the bodies of the deceased, the spokesperson said. The company assures that legitimate compensation will be provided to the next of kin of the deceased workmen, adhering to established rules and regulations, he said.

An inquiry into the matter will be conducted in due course, and necessary corrective actions will be implemented to prevent such tragedies in future, the official added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)