In a major opencast mishap that occurred in Ramagundam opencast mines of Peddapalli district, four contract workers attached to a private company were killed and three others seriously injured on Tuesday. The mishap occurred when a gelatine stick detonated accidentally in the over burden sand areas of the opencast mine OCP1 of the SCCL. The workers were planting detonators in the fillers when one of the detonators went off suddenly killing the workers instantaneously.
According to SCCL officials and the police, 13 workers of Mahalakshmi Company engaged in the OB removal works were at the unit since morning. Six of the workers went for a brief relief when the blast occurred while the seven in the vicinity succumbed to the mishap.
The victims were identified as Praveen, Rajesh, Anjaiah, and Rakesh , while three more Shankar, Bheemaiah and Venkatesh sustained grievous injuries.
Usually the over-burden removal is undertaken in the supervision of a technical expert but the company which took the contract of the work is relying on its senior staff.
On Tuesday too, the 13-member contract workers' team had commenced its work by planting and filling the detonators in the OB area. But while the process was going on, the planted detonator went off accidentally.
Officials opined that the detonators were substandard and insulation was also not upto the mark.