At least four people were killed and many feared trapped following a landslip at Dadam mining site in Haryana’s Bhiwani district at around 9 a.m. on Saturday.
Home Minister Anil Vij said four people had so far died and rescue operation was under way. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been sought.
In his tweet, Mr. Vij said, “I am deeply saddened by the accident. Rescue operation is being carried out by the administration. An NDRF team has been called from Ghaziabad and an SDRF team from Madhuban. An Army unit has also been called from Hisar.”
He said the accident occurred due to a landslip in the mining area in village Dadam of sub-division Tosham, about 30 km from Bhiwani district headquarters. Officials have been directed to cautiously search till the bottom of the area so that not a single person remains buried. Mr. Vij said if any kind of equipment-machinery is required to be procured from outside for the rescue operation, it will be provided and all possible medical facilities will be provided to the injured.
According to the police, close to half-a-dozen dumper trucks and some machines have been buried under the debris.
Leader of the Opposition and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda expressed sorrow and blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party-Jannayak Janata Party government for the incident. He said illegal mining is rampant at the mining zone while the government has turned a blind eye to it.
“Even the Supreme Court has made a serious comment on this matter and illegal mining is being done in this area by flouting all the rules but the government is not conducting a fair investigation,” he said, demanding a judicial inquiry.
