Four workers killed in explosion at SCCL mine in Telangana

Four workers were killed and three seriously injured in an explosion at an open cast coal mine of state-owned Singareni Collieries Company Ltd in Peddapalli district of Telangana on Tuesday, police said. "The explosion occurred at Ramagundam-3 region of SSCL mine at around 10.25 am, killing the four workers, aged between 28 to 42 years, on the spot," Ramagundam Police Commissioner V Satyanarayana told reporters.

He said initial investigation revealed that the blast occurred when non-electrical detonators filled with slurry (semi-liquid mixture of fine particles of manure, cement, or coal suspended in water), exploded. The three seriously injured workers were shifted to a hospital at Godavarikhani, he said.

Police said the workers were employed by a private contractor and the incident occurred during the filling of Site Mix Emulsion into the open cast mine. A case under IPC section304A(causing death by negligence) has been registered, they said.

Meanwhile, a senior official of SCCL said that the Director General of Mines Safety would conduct an enquiry.