Thursday 3 October 2013

The Disaster

The entire water body of a pond disappeared overnight a few years ago. Now, a young woman has fallen into the burning underground coal of an abandoned mine through a three feet wide crack that was suddenly created in in her courtyard. It all occurred in the colliery belt of Asansol, West Bengal, India.



The latest accident occurred at Sanctoria Labour Colony under Eastern Coalfields Limited in the evening of 26th September. The surface of the plane was trembling from the noon, not uncommon in the area. But, cracking of the surface under the feet of Hena Khatoon (19 years) happened so quickly and so much heat and hot smoke suddenly came out of the hole that the young woman could not save  herself.

Later on that night and on the very next day mine rescue team of ECL tried in vain to retrieve the girl. The temperature of the spot after two hours of the accident was measured more than 500 degree celsius. However, on 29th September the rescue team cut a tunnel  up to the spot by PCM machine and could get back the charred body remains of the ill-fated young woman.

Land subsidence and consequent loss of life and property due to inadequate filling of abandoned mines and unauthorized mining by coal mafia in different coal blocks of Asansol has become common in the area.

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