The Hindu : Front Page : Four coal miners killed in accident

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Monday, Nov 13, 2006
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Four coal miners killed in accident

Staff Reporter

Roof collapses in SCCL underground mine; foreign national rescued

ANXIOUS WAIT: Rescue workers and trade union leaders at the accident spot inside the Venkateshkhani near Kothagudem on Sunday.

KOTHAGUDEM: Four persons, including an undermanager, were killed as the roof of an underground coal mine, Venkateshkhani (7 incline), one of the oldest underground mines of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), caved in near Kothagudem at 8.50 a.m. on Sunday. A foreign national and a mining engineer of a private company, both working on new machinery introduced in the mine, were rescued seven hours after the incident.

No regular miner was on duty at the time of the accident as it was a weekly day off for the coal workers of the project. The roof fall occurred when `continuous miner', the machine provided by `Joy Mining', was about to resume its operations in the day. Six persons, including Thomas N. Kosi (South African national), shuttle car operator of the machine, and Pratap Kumar Sharma, both representing the private company, were inside the mine. They were heading for the 32 dip area when a huge block of the coal seam came down sealing their exit.

Tough job

Coal workers and union leaders rushed to the spot, but failed to reach the workers trapped in the debris about 1.1 km away from the pithead. The rescue teams reached the spot promptly but it took more than four hours for them to clear their way. P. Sudheerbabu, undermanager, N. Ramji, 47, overman, and K. Ramachander, 37, and P. Buchaiah, 38, both general mazdoors - all from SCCL -- died on the spot. Two bodies could be taken out from the mine. A team of officials from the Safety Department and the company directors were monitoring the salvage operations. The accident was viewed as the worst-ever in Kothagudem area, which was relatively free from such incidents during the past one-and-a half decade.

The SCCL has ordered an enquiry into the incident. Union Minister of State for Woman and Child Development, Renuka Chowdary, Khammam Collector Sashibushan Kumar and Superintendent of Police, Rajeev Kumar Meena, were among those who visited the mine and took stock of the situation.

YSR expresses shock

Hyderabad Special Correspondent writes: Chief Minister Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy expressed "deep shock" and "grief" over the death of the miners in Singareni Collieries.

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