Trace of no person found at site of Dhanbad mine ‘collapse', say officials as search continues
The operation by a 35-member squad of the NDRF and a 15-member BCCL mines' rescue wing began around 11.30 am after a futile attempt to search for the illegal miners late on Thursday evening.
Dhanbad, Jul 25 (PTI) No person has been found so far trapped in the abandoned coal mine in Jharkhand's Dhanbad, officials said on Friday night after a joint team of the NDRF and Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL) started a search operation as several leaders claimed that some people were buried by a collapse during illegal mining.
Giridih MP CP Choudhary of the AJSU Party staged a dharna outside the Baghmara police station, demanding immediate rescue operations at the spot.
'Search operation is under progress, and till 9 pm on Friday, no sign of anybody has been found. The MP has pointed out three spots as suspected sites of trapped persons. Search operation has started at one of the spots, and other locations would come under its ambit soon,' Baghmara police station's officer in-charge Ajit Kumar said.
According to Choudhury, the incident happened on July 22 evening after the roof of the underground closed mines caved in.
An NDRF officer said the speed of the search operation is slow in the absence of required resources, including earthmovers.
Jamshedpur West MLA Saryu Roy had on Thursday alleged that a large-scale cover-up was underway to conceal at least 15 deaths in the incident, calling it a case of 'people being deliberately buried under fresh soil to destroy evidence'.
On Wednesday, Choudhary had claimed that at least nine workers lost their lives.
Officials of the Dhanbad district administration, BCCL and police claim that no signs of any such incident have been found so far.
Choudhary said he has submitted a list of five people allegedly trapped there.
Roy accused the BCCL and the police of aiding illegal mining operations and protecting those responsible.
According to him, extortion is rampant in outsourced coal mines, with Rs 1,600 per tonne being illegally charged during coal loading, 'under protection from police and political figures'.
Roy said he will raise the issue during the upcoming monsoon session of the assembly, and also submit a report to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
He also questioned why the Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS), based in Dhanbad, never issued closure notices for abandoned BCCL mines, and demanded accountability for the sites that remain unsecured despite recurring illegal mining activities.
An eerie silence prevailed at Taratand area in Giridih, from where four workers have been missing since the alleged mine collapse in Dhanbad.
Villagers claimed Aziz Ansari alias Charku Ansari, 35, a resident of Kundalwadah village, Afzal Ansari alias Khan Sahab, 35, Dilip Sahab, 32, a resident of Ambabeda village, and Jamshed Ansari, 30, a resident of Mathurasingha village, had left for Baghmara and have not returned so far.
'All four used to work in mines. The Dhanbad Police did not allow us to go to the site of the incident,' a family member of one of the missing workers claimed.
State BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo said, 'There are reports of casualties due to illegal mining in the Baghmara area of Dhanbad. Attempts are being made to suppress this whole accident on a large scale.' BCCL's regional nodal security officer Rajiv Ranjan stated that no incident had been reported from the closed underground mine. PTI CORR NAM RBT SOM
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
7 minutes ago
- India.com
No Rafale or F-35! Army Demands Rs 1.12 Lakh Cr Defence System, Gets Only Rs 36,000 Cr
New Delhi: After Operation Sindoor, India's defense upgrades are speeding ahead like a bullet train. With over Rs 3 lakh crore being pumped into military modernisation, the government is on a mission to acquire or indigenously develop fighter jets, submarines and advanced missile systems. One by one, big-ticket purchases are being cleared, and the pace is relentless. Earlier this month, the Ministry of Defence approved military procurements worth over Rs 1 lakh crore in one go. Among them, Rs 44,000 crore has been set aside for 12 Mine Counter Measure Vessels and Rs 36,000 crore has been sanctioned for six regiments of the Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile system, better known as QRSAM. These six QRSAM regiments will be split evenly between the Indian Air Force and the Army. But here is the twist. This is only a fraction of what the armed forces actually asked for. The Army had demanded 11 regiments. What they got was only three. The Air Force's separate demand? Also unmet. If both services were to receive the full complement, 11 regiments each, the total cost would have soared to Rs 1.12 lakh crore. But the government stopped short. Enter the 'Baby S-400' Apart from being a missile defense system, QRSAM is being nicknamed the 'Baby S-400'. India already has three operational regiments of Russia's S-400 system and expects two more by next year. But defense planners know that S-400s and indigenous Akash systems alone cannot transform the country into a secure fortress. The threat matrix has changed. China is watching, and so is Pakistan. And they are not standing still. Operation Sindoor proved India's air defense muscle. But it also exposed gaps, ones that Pakistan tried to exploit through waves of drone incursions, many supplied by Turkey and China. Hundreds were launched. All were neutralised. But the lesson stuck – air defense needs to be multi-layered, relentless and everywhere. That is where the QRSAM fits in. Designed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), it is built to intercept fighters, drones and helicopters within a 30 km radius. Not as long-range as the S-400's 400 km or Akash's 100-200 km reach, but perfect for quick and short-range airspace protection in dense threat environments. More importantly, it's Indian-made, fast, precise and combat-ready. Not Enough for a Fortress At Rs 6,000 crore per regiment, scaling up to the Army's full demand alone would cost Rs 66,000 crore. Add the Air Force's likely mirror request and you are staring at a Rs 1.12 lakh crore bill. Expensive? Yes. But what is the price of making the skies over India completely off-limits to 5th-gen fighter jets, drones, cruise missiles or worse? With full deployment, India's air defense would shift from deterrence to denial. Nothing would be able to breach the perimeter. During Operation Sindoor, India's air defenses held. But in military planning, holding is never enough. The military is not asking for luxury, it is asking for survivability. Against future drone swarms, supersonic fighters or long-range missile salvos, six regiments are just a start. If the government greenlights the remaining 16 regiments, the Army and the Air Force both, it would send a message that India is preparing. And once QRSAM rings the nation's skies, even the birds will need clearance to fly.
News18
16 minutes ago
- News18
UP: Train passenger travelling with over Rs 29 lakh cash held
Chandauli (UP), Jul 27 (PTI) A man travelling in the Gurumukhi Express train with Rs 29.67 lakh cash was arrested by the GRP and RPF sleuths in Mughalsarai on Sunday evening, officials said. Mafijul Sheikh, a resident of West Bengal's Birbhum district, was nabbed at the DDU junction after he could not produce any valid documents related to the huge amount of cash he was carrying, they said. Sunil Singh, GRP station in-charge of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Railway Station, said he received information that a large amount of money was being taken to West Bengal by Gurumukhi Express. Following this, he started a special surveillance at the station along with RPF and as soon as the train reached the platform, the team started searching, he said. During this, a young man travelling in the general bogie of the train was found suspicious. Upon searching him, the officials found bundles of notes amounting to a total of Rs 29.67 lakh from the bag he was carrying, Singh said. During questioning, Sheikh told officials that he had boarded the train from Moradabad and was taking the money to West Bengal. view comments First Published: July 28, 2025, 00:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
21 minutes ago
- Time of India
27 duped in visa fraud, DCB probing bank account misuse
Ahmedabad: The Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) in Ahmedabad is working on unravelling a case in which 27 people have allegedly been duped in an overseas work visa scam. The complainant from Odhav stated in the FIR that a Dubai-based agent cheated him and 26 others of Rs 21 lakh after falsely promising to get them work permits for Europe and Canada. According to the FIR, the complainant and his friends were introduced to the agent by a mutual contact in Oct 2024. "A common friend gave me the agent's mobile number saying he had helped many people get visas earlier. On his assurance, I began dealing with the agent for work permits to Canada and Europe," the complainant stated in the FIR. The agent allegedly took Rs 50,000 per person as an advance and assured them that he would first send them to Dubai to work in his company. You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad After working for six to 12 months, he promised to arrange Canadian or European visas, deducting the remaining charges from their Dubai salaries. The FIR said, "The agent told victims that since their passports had no prior travel stamps, they would need to show high bank balances and financial transactions. The agent promised to deposit money in their accounts and later take it back through withdrawals made by victims." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like New Container Houses Portugal (Prices May Surprise You) Container House Search Now Undo The complainant and others allowed their and their family members' bank accounts to be used for this purpose. According to the complaint, "About Rs 4 crore was routed through our accounts and handed over to an angadia firm in Bapunagar and the agent's contact." The complainant and other victims were later told by Vadodara Cyber Crime police that these were fraudulent funds. Only a few applicants were briefly sent to Dubai, but no proper employment was arranged. "They were made to visit different offices for interviews and returned home within weeks," the FIR states, adding that the agent allegedly stopped answering calls after a few months. "He gave repeated excuses and assured us the money would be returned, but we have received nothing so far," he added. The FIR also states that the complainant travelled to Dubai in May 2025 to meet the agent, who again avoided repayment. "Following unscrupulous transactions by the agent, Cyber Crime police froze some of our accounts, it damaged our reputation and caused mental distress," the complainant told DCB officers. Police have launched a probe against the agent, said to hold a golden visa in Dubai since 2021. The FIR includes documents such as job offer letters, bank transaction details, and identity proofs submitted by the complainant.
