Three killed in Chhattisgarh coal mine blast

KORIA - At least three persons, including a deputy general manager, were killed and 32 injured in a blast in the South Eastern Coalfield Limited (SECL) coal mines in Chhattisgarh’s Koria District on Friday.

The SECL coal mine is situated in the Anjani Hills in the Chirmiri area of the District.

According to Koria District Collector Alok Awasthi, the dead were identified as S K Goswami, Nirmal Jangde and Radheshyam.

Six employees working in the mine are still missing, he added.

Fifteen of the 32 injured are critical and have been admitted to the Apollo Hospital in Bilaspur.

The others are undergoing treatment at a divisional hospital in Chirmiri.

Awasthi said that mining at the coal mine has been stopped since Wednesday after a gas leakage, and a team was working to repair it.

While the team was working at the mine on Friday morning, a blast occurred suddenly and its entrance was blocked.

SECL employees and a police team have begun a rescue operation. (ANI)