Two killed, one injured as portion of coal mine wall collapses in Chhattisgarh

Korba: Two persons were killed, and another sustained injuries after a portion of the boundary wall of a coal mine collapsed on them in Chhattisgarh's Korba district on Tuesday, police said.

The incident took place in the wee hours of the day at South Eastern Coalfields Limited's (SECL) Gevra open-cast coal mine under the Hardi Bazar police station limits, an official said.

As per preliminary information, the trio had allegedly entered the mine to steal coal when a portion of the boundary wall of the Dipka and Gevra mines suddenly collapsed, he said.

The official said Vishal Yadav (18) and Dhan Singh Kanwar (24) got trapped under the debris of coal and died, while Sahil Dhanwar sustained injuries.

Teams of mine management and police reached the spot and launched the rescue efforts, he said.

The injured man was shifted to the district hospital, and two bodies were retrieved, the official said, adding that further probe is underway.

The SECL's public relations officer, Sanish Chandra, said that the trio might have been trying to fetch coal from the mine's boundary, resulting in the collapse of the coal layer.

Preliminary investigation suggested that the trio had entered the mine without any permission and safety by avoiding mine security points, he said.

The SECL management has appealed to people to avoid such risky and illegal activities, the official said.