Rescue completed

This completes the story Awaaz Punjab reported on Monday, when workers were trapped underground at the Kumardihi mine after a lift failure. Read the earlier report

All the coal workers who were trapped in a coal mine at Pandaveswar in West Bengal's West Burdwan district were rescued early on Tuesday morning after a nightlong operation, news agency IANS reported. The workers had been stuck in a mine shaft at a depth of about 200 feet in the Kumardihi area of Pandaveswar since late on Monday evening.

Source: IANS via Hi India

With the help of a mining expert, the rescue team and the police, the operation succeeded at 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday and all the workers were rescued unharmed, IANS reported. Pandaveswar BJP legislator Jitendra Tiwari confirmed that the conditions of all the rescued miners were stable. Sources told the agency that mine authorities first tried to rescue the workers themselves, but that attempt was unsuccessful, after which a rigorous rescue operation began.

Source: IANS via Hi India

200 feetDepth of the shaft where the workers were stuck
5:30 a.m.Time on Tuesday when the rescue succeeded, per IANS
12 / 14Rescued count in IANS reporting / in the ECL CMD's quoted figure — reports differ

Lift fault at the ECL colliery, officials at the spot

Indian PSU reported that the incident occurred at Kumardihi 'A' Colliery in Eastern Coalfields Limited's Bankola area, when the lift used to carry workers between the surface and the underground workings developed a technical fault; preliminary reports linked the malfunction to the lift rope becoming entangled with the pulley drum in the engine room. It quoted ECL CMD Dr Satish Jha as saying ECL had rescued 14 trapped miners from the cage at the Kumardihi underground mine.

Source: Indian PSU

What is solid

  • Workers were trapped about 200 feet underground at the Kumardihi colliery in Pandaveswar after the lift system failed, and all of them were brought out alive early on Tuesday, with their condition reported stable or unharmed.
  • Rescue teams stayed in contact with the trapped workers by walkie-talkie through the night and sent down water and dry food.

What is only claimed

  • The exact number rescued: IANS reports 12 workers rescued, while Eastern Coalfields CMD Dr Satish Jha was quoted by Indian PSU as saying 14 miners were rescued from the cage.

During the operation, constant contact was maintained with the trapped workers through walkie-talkies, and water and dry food were sent to them, IANS reported. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari ordered constant monitoring of the rescue operations, and West Burdwan district administration officials were asked to keep an eye on the situation. Durgapur Sub-Divisional Magistrate Ankita Agarwal and Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissioner Dr Pranab Kumar reached the spot, the agency reported.

Source: IANS via Hi India