9 coal miners injured, 4 feared trapped in Odisha mine mishap in Talcher

Nine coal miners were injured and four feared trapped after a dump slide at an opencast mine in Talcher coalfields, an official said on Wednesday. The coal miners were working at the mine of the Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) when the accident happened around 11.30pm on Tuesday, trapping the 13 workers, he said. A portion of earth broke loose due to a strata failure, an MCL spokesperson said.

Fellow miners and rescue teams pulled out nine workers from the mine and shifted them to the company's hospital in Talcher, he said. Rescue operations were on to rescue the other four miners.

Senior MCL officials have rushed to Talcher in Angul district to oversee the rescue operation, he said. Meanwhile, locals said the accident happened due to a landslide after a controlled blast at the mine.