A team of 15 officials from Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL) found themselves trapped in the Kolihan mine after a lift collapse on Tuesday night. The incident occurred when one of the lift’s chains snapped, causing the lift to plummet while carrying the team at a depth of nearly 700 meters.
Rescue operations commenced immediately, and three officials have been successfully rescued. The rescued individuals have been identified as AK Sharma, Hans Ram, and Pritam Singh. They have been transported to Jaipur for medical treatment and are reported to be in stable condition.
The remaining 12 trapped officials are Upendra Pandey, Banendu Bhandari, Niranjan Sahoo, GD Gupta, Ramesh Narayan Singh, Vinod Singh Shekhawat, AK Baira, Arnav Bhabdari, Yashraj Meena, Vikas Pareek, Karan Gehlot, and Bhagirath.
Bhanwar Lal, the station house officer of the local Khetri police station, detailed the incident: “A vigilance team from Kolkata had gone inside the mines for an inspection. The accident took place when they were coming up around 8 PM by a lift and one of its chains snapped, causing a major collapse. All 15 people got stuck at a depth of nearly 700 meters.”
Police and a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team have been on-site for the past 12 hours, working tirelessly to rescue the remaining trapped individuals. “The rescue team has supplied emergency medicines and food to the victims. No casualties have been reported so far. All the emergency preparations, including ambulances, have been stationed for additional support. The rescue team is trying to move the lift manually to rescue the trapped people,” Lal added.
Local BJP MLA Dharampal Gurjar, who had been in Haryana for an election campaign, rushed to the scene upon hearing the news. Speaking to a local news agency, Gurjar stated, “I called everyone and took stock of the entire situation. I have called the SDM here. The rescue team is engaged, and 6-7 ambulances are standing here. The entire administration is on alert. There is no report of any casualty so far, definitely everyone will come out safely.”
The community remains hopeful as the rescue operations continue, with all efforts focused on ensuring the safe retrieval of the trapped officials.
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