Dibrugarh: Two coal miners were recovered dead from the Tipong Kaliari Chali area under Lekhapani police station in eastern Assam’s Tinsukia district.
As per reports, the two miners were working at an illegal coal mine in the area.
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They died after a sudden gas explosion at the site on Tuesday.
The deceased were identified as Raju Rabha and Dhreswar Kachari.
Of the two, Raju hails from Meghalaya while Dhreswar is from Assam’s Goalpara district.
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Sources claimed that they were engaged in the illegal extraction of coal from the mines when the incident occurred.
Along with them other coal miners were also injured and admitted to a hospital.
“They were engaged in illegal extraction of coal at Tipong Kaliari Chali area. They were working for Vikram and Janaik Jaiswal, coal mafias,” said the source.
It may be mentioned that three deaths were reported in the district related to illegal coal mining this month itself.
Illegal coal mining practice has been unabated in the Margherita-Ledo area of Tinsukia district but despite knowing everything the district administration became a mute spectator.
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In June this year, two bodies of coal miners who were killed in an illegal rat-hole mine at Ledo were recovered.
Their bodies were recovered from a rate hole mine at the Molo Pahar area under the Ledo police station in the Tinsukia district.
One of the two killed miners has been identified as Nayan Phukan, a resident of the Itakhuli area of Ledo.
The Tirap, Tikak, Bargolai, Namdang, and Tipong collieries under NEC Coal India Ltd Margherita have witnessed several deaths of coal miners, including individuals like Pranjal Moran, Nayan Phukan, Dipen Aley, Rupam Das, Kartik Gowala, Bijay Munda and many more, who died during extraction of coal from rat-hole mining.