Bodies of Three Workers Recovered from Flooded Illegal Coal Mine in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh

Hazaribagh: Thirteen days after going missing, the bodies of three workers trapped in an illegal coal mine in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh district were recovered late Monday night, officials confirmed on Tuesday.

The deceased were identified as Pramod Shah (45), Umesh Kumar (25), and Naushad Ansari (24), all residents of Kandaber village under the Keredari police station limits.

The incident occurred on May 21 when sudden heavy rainfall caused the Khawa River to swell. According to local residents, the powerful current swept the three men into one of the many unauthorized coal mine tunnels in the region—many of which are allegedly run by coal mafias and operate without regulation despite the risks.

The mine shaft where the workers were trapped was over 100 feet deep and quickly flooded, making rescue efforts extremely difficult. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) launched a three-day operation to locate the bodies but had to suspend the search due to severe waterlogging.

Eventually, dewatering efforts were taken over by NTPC and a private company. After several days of non-stop pumping, the water level finally receded enough to allow recovery efforts to resume. It was local villagers who ultimately located and retrieved the bodies on Monday night.

On Tuesday morning, the bodies were sent for autopsy to Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College and Hospital in Hazaribagh. After the post-mortem, they were returned to Kandaber village and cremated later that afternoon.

The incident cast a pall of grief over the village, with families and neighbours overcome with emotion as the bodies arrived. Heartbreaking scenes unfolded as mourners gathered for the final rites.

In the aftermath, villagers demanded compensation and government jobs for one family member of each victim.

Despite repeated tragedies, illegal mining continues unchecked along the Khawa river belt in Keredari, drawing many impoverished locals into dangerous and unregulated work conditions.

With inputs from IANS