14 officials of Hindustan Copper Limited trapped inside the Kolihan mine in Rajasthan were rescued on Wednesday.
Fourteen officials of the Hindustan Copper Limited trapped inside a mine in Rajasthan’s Neem Ka Thana were rescued by relief teams on Wednesday morning, while one official was found dead, sources said. The officials were trapped inside the Kolihan mine in the district on Tuesday night after a lift collapsed.
The vertical shaft carrying the 15 PSU Hindustan Copper Limited officials collapsed on Tuesday night after one of its ropes snapped. Earlier on Wednesday, officials in charge of the rescue mission said that all 15 had been rescued, and three had been taken out of the mine.
“All have been rescued. Three of them have been taken out of the mine and sent to hospital. They have fractures,” Dr Mahendra Singh, part of the medical team on site, told PTI.
Rescue operations took place overnight with multiple ambulances and medical teams on site. The trapped personnel were stuck at a depth of 577 metres at the Kolihan mine. Out of the rescued personnel, three were severely injured and in serious condition, receiving treatment at a hospital in Jaipur.
The rescue operations were carried out using a ladder and the lift was moved manually. Some of people rescued from the mine sustained fractures to their arms and legs, officials said.
Nursing Staff of Jhunjhunu Government Hospital, Shishram told ANI, “Some people have suffered fractures in hands and some in legs. Everyone is safe. Three people are seriously injured, the rest are safe. The rescue operation was done with the help of a ladder…”
The lift that collapsed on Tuesday evening was carrying a Kolkata vigilance team and mine officials. It is believed to have crashed more than 1,800 feet inside the mine. The incident occurred due to the breaking of the rope supporting the lift.
The trapped officials included Chief Vigilance Officer Upendra Pandey, Khetri Copper Complex (KCC) unit head GD Gupta, and Kolihan Mine’s Deputy General Manager AK Sharma. A journalist, Vikas Pareek, who had entered the mine as a photographer with the vigilance team, was also trapped among the 14 people.
Shortly after information was received that the lift had collapsed, medical officials and ambulances rushed to the spot, ordered to prepare for any emergency situation. BJP MLA Dharmpal Gurjar also reached the spot at night to assess the situation.
