In a tragic incident at least four people lost their lives and six others sustained injuries when an illegal coal mine caved in near the Kuju area of Ramgarh district in Jharkhand on Saturday. The accident occurred while several villagers were engaged in unauthorised coal mining operations.
According to eyewitnesses and local residents, the activity at the site had become a daily routine, with villagers entering the abandoned mine to extract coal in the absence of regulation. On a usual day, while the villagers were busy digging, a large portion of the mine’s overburden — loose earth and debris — suddenly collapsed, trapping around 12 individuals under the rubble.
Immediate chaos followed as villagers rushed to the scene. With the assistance of local residents and district administration teams, a rescue operation was launched. Despite their best efforts, four individuals were found dead beneath the debris. The victims have been identified as Nirmal Munda (42), Vakil Karmali (55), Imtiyaz Ansari (38), and Rameshwar Manjhi (35). Six others, including Rozida Khatun (35), Sarita Devi (40), and Arun Manjhi (22), were pulled out alive and taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. Following the tragedy, anger among the local population erupted. Villagers gathered in front of the Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) Karma project office with the deceased bodies, demanding immediate action and financial compensation. Protesters accused CCL of gross negligence, claiming the mine had been left unsecured and without proper barricading, allowing unauthorised access to desperate villagers seeking coal for fuel and livelihood.
The villagers further alleged that CCL violated safety norms laid down by the Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS). They claimed that despite ongoing blasting and excavation activities, there were no preventive measures in place to stop locals from entering the hazardous site.