Dhanbad, May 3: A devastating accident occurred at the Munidih coal washery in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, operated by Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL). During slurry loading on Saturday evening around 5:30 PM, a massive collapse of debris resulted in the tragic deaths of four daily wage laborers.
At the time of the incident, a group of 7 to 10 workers was manually loading wash coal dust (slurry) into a truck at the loading point. Suddenly, a large pile of slurry fell on them, causing chaos and panic in the area. Local police, CISF, and the management team of the washery rushed to the scene and initiated rescue operations immediately.
So far, the bodies of three workers have been recovered, while efforts continue to locate another missing laborer. The deceased have been identified as Manik Bauri (45) and Dinesh Bauri (52) from Gopinathdih, Deepak Bauri (50) from Samshikhra, and Moda Gop (59) from Rudi Kapuria.
Sunita Devi from Gopinathdih narrowly escaped the disaster, managing to get out safely from the debris. This washery, established in 1983 with an annual capacity of approximately 1.6 million tons, has raised serious concerns regarding safety protocols and monitoring systems following this horrific incident.
Eyewitnesses have alleged a significant lack of safety measures and oversight by officials during such a hazardous task as slurry loading. Currently, police from Munidih OP, along with Putki and Bhagabandh police stations, are maintaining law and order at the site. The families of the victims are devastated, and mourning has engulfed the entire area.
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