Dhanbad miners' accident: Politicians allege cover-up, say more workers trapped
A roof collapse at an abandoned coal mine in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, on July 22 has left several miners feared trapped after illegal mining went wrong. Heavy rain has now brought rescue work to a halt.
Political leaders like MP CP Choudhary and MLA Saryu Roy are blaming local authorities and Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) for negligence, saying more workers could be missing or dead than officials admit.
District officials and BCCL deny any evidence of people being trapped or a cover-up.
Rescue operations slow due to rain, machinery
A combined team of NDRF and BCCL rescue workers started searching the site on July 24, but progress has been slow due to constant rain and broken machinery.
Three possible collapse spots have been identified—one recently covered with soil—which makes the search harder.
With little headway so far, political leaders are demanding more transparency from authorities, who say they'll resume full rescue operations once the weather clears up.