Three women killed as coal heap collapses in Jharkhand's Bokaro district
The victims were reportedly collecting discarded coal for domestic use when the pile collapsed at the Kathara colliery stockyard on Thursday.
Three women died and several others were injured after a heap of coal collapsed at the No. 5 stockyard of the Kathara Colliery in Jharkhand's Bokaro district early Thursday. The incident occurred around 4.45 am to 5 am under the jurisdiction of the Kathara Outpost in the Bermo subdivision, according to reports from The New Indian Express, Deccan Chronicle and The Shillong Times.
The collapse buried six women and one man who were collecting discarded coal for domestic use and fuel. Rescuers pulled the victims from the debris and rushed them to the Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) Hospital. Three women, identified as Pushpa Devi, Kaushalya Devi and Sohri Devi, succumbed to their injuries.
Bokaro Deputy Commissioner Ajay Nath Jha told PTI that six people were injured in the incident, with three of them dying. The injured individuals were given initial treatment before being referred to another medical centre for advanced care.
Bermo Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Ravindra Singh confirmed that the women were collecting coal when the heap collapsed. A CCL official stated the incident was a case of coal theft.
Police teams from the Kathara Outpost and Bokaro Thermal police station reached the site and took the bodies into custody for post-mortem examination. Police officials and colliery management are conducting a joint investigation to determine the cause of the collapse.