Body of trapped miner found, search on for the other

The body of one of two minters trapped in an underground coal mine at Mugma was recovered late on Tuesday night after eight days of rescue efforts launched after a bore hole burst led to flooding.

Eastern Coalfields ECL senior manager (safety) of Mugma area Ajay Kumar Sharma said, “We recovered the dead body of Manik Bauri around 11pm on Tuesday while efforts are on to find the other person, Basia Maji.”

Sharma said the process for providing compensation as well as a job on compassionate grounds to Bauri’s next of kin had been completed. “An appointment letter will be handed over after the submission of necessary documents by the family of the deceased,” he added.

Local residents, led by Bauri’s family members and including his co-workers, blamed the ECL management for his death, alleging that rescue operations were tardy. They even tried to prevent the company management from transporting the body to Sahid Nirmal Mahto Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem, demanding that compensation be paid and a job offered to the family first.