Kolkata, May 14 A sudden air blast in the mine caused an accident when a coal shaft collapsed in Asansol of west Bengal's East Burdwan district on Thursday, officials said.
One worker has died in the incident so far while atleast 40 miners have been injured in the accident.
The incident took place at the Parashia mine in the Kunustriya area of Eastern Coalfield Limited (ECL).
The mine workers had gone to work in the coal mine in the morning shift. At that time, the air blast occurred in section number 27 of the Parashia mine when miners were working there.
The injured workers have been rescued and taken to the hospital.
The labour unions have blamed the negligence of the ECL authorities for the incident.
Dharmadas Mandal, Secretary of the Mine Workers Union (CITU), said, "About 40 miners were working in section number 27 of the mine at that time. A sudden air blast occurred. As a result, the upper part of the mine collapsed. One worker was crushed to death. At least 40 people were injured. Some of them are in critical condition. There are fears that the death toll may increase. The injured workers have been sent for treatment to various hospitals."
Mining experts say that a large amount of coal dust accumulates in the mine. It starts flying in the air inside the mine. As the level of coal dust or air increases, the coal dust inside the mine comes into contact with gas and air, causing an explosion.
Fans are installed in various mines to remove this air. In this case, it is not known whether the air was removed or not.
In addition, the miners' unions have also raised questions about how much dust was stored in the mine or whether the gas was being released properly, and whether regular checks were carried out properly.
No ECL official has yet commented on the matter.
Sources say that the ECL has already started a departmental investigation into the matter.
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