West Bengal open pit cast mine collapse; police recover three bodies

The bodies of three people who were buried alive in the Raniganj open pit mine collapse, on Wednesday, were recovered on Thursday and sent to post-mortem examination, police said.

Raniganj (West Bengal): In a devastating incident that unfolded in the early hours of Thursday, the Raniganj area of West Bengal was gripped by grief as three lifeless bodies were recovered from the wreckage of the Narayankuri open pit mine collapse. The catastrophic event, which transpired on Wednesday, sent shockwaves through the region and raised questions about the perils of illegal coal extraction.

According to SS Kuldeep, Deputy Commissioner (Central) of Asansol-Durgapur Police, "A total of three bodies have been recovered. The bodies are being sent for post-mortem examination." The official count provided by the police seemingly contradicted the claims made by BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul, who had been overseeing the rescue efforts throughout the night. Paul insisted that the villagers had managed to salvage seven bodies from the site, thereby causing confusion regarding the exact number of casualties.

The incident took place at the Narayankuri open cast mine in Raniganj, where individuals were allegedly involved in unauthorized coal extraction. In the aftermath, MLA Agnimitra Paul hurried to the scene of the disaster, supervising the rescue operations with the assistance of local residents. She also staged a protest near the site, demanding that the police and Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) personnel take charge of the rescue efforts.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) SS Kuldeep clarified that, based on their findings, three bodies had been recovered from the disaster site, which were subsequently dispatched for post-mortem examinations. However, Agnimitra Paul criticized the police and ECL personnel for their perceived lackadaisical approach, vehemently asserting that seven bodies had been rescued.