Patna: Ten miners were killed and many others feared trapped following a cave-in at Lalmatia opencast coal mine at Rajmahal area of Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL) on Thursday night.

Bodies of ten mine workers were fished out from the mine on Friday, while search operation for several others who are feared trapped inside the open cast mine continued.

The incident occurred during a shift change at around 7.30 pm on Thursday evening and “immediate rescue operation couldn’t be carried out due to dense fog and non-availability of proper light at the mine where the incident occurred,” CISF sources stationed at the mine said.

Sources told this newspaper that the project was outsourced to a private company by Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) at Pahariya Boraye site in Godda district. They said the incident occurred when a heap of mud caved in late on Thursday evening and completely blocked the entry point. Sources said that around 30 people are suspected to be trapped inside the open cast mine.

“Exact figure is still not available but at the time of incident, people working inside the mine could be more than 30,” a source from Godda said.

An internal inquiry has been constituted by the Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) with a DGM-level officer carrying out a parallel probe to find out the exact reasons behind the incident. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das expressed grief over the loss of lives.

The state government also announced an assistance of Rs 2 lakh to the family members of those who died in the accident.

The state government of Jharkhand has also announced a high-level probe to find out the exact reason behind the accident. Speaking on the issue, chief minister Raghubar Das said that, “Rescue operations are being carried out on a war footing and a probe will also be launched to find out the reasons behind the incident.” NDRF teams have also been called in from Patna to assist in rescue operations.

The ECL also announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the family of the deceased in addition to the amount to be paid under the Workmen’s Compensation Act.