Emergency Response Initiated at Kumardihi A Mine

Rescue operations were launched on a war footing following an industrial incident in West Bengal's Paschim Bardhaman district, where multiple workers were left stranded underground. The entrapment occurred after a severe mechanical glitch struck the pulley system of the Kumardihi A underground mine, abruptly halting the movement of the primary lifting cage.

According to Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL) Chairman and Managing Director Satish Jha, the failure was triggered when a heavy steel rope slipped entirely off the pulley drum. This critical malfunction disabled the transport mechanism normally used to lower and hoist personnel from the deep subterranean shafts.

Subterranean Conditions and Relief Measures

Initial assessments confirm that all trapped miners are currently safe, with no casualties reported. Authorities have successfully established logistical supply lines down the shaft, delivering essential provisions including drinking water and food to the stranded workers.

Officials noted that the workers are currently positioned approximately 50 metres beneath the surface, while the total depth capacity of the mine's vertical pulley system extends downward to roughly 90 metres. Ventilation systems remain fully operational, ensuring an adequate supply of fresh air reaches the trapped personnel while engineering teams work to resolve the mechanical failure.

High-Level Administrative Oversight

State leadership and local administrative machinery mobilized immediately upon receiving alerts from ECL management. Senior government officials, including the Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissioner and the Paschim Bardhaman District Magistrate, maintained direct channels of communication with mine operators.

Heavy police deployments and disaster response coordination teams secured the surface perimeter surrounding the pithead, while state secretariat officials monitored the minute-by-minute progress of the engineering repairs aimed at restoring the lift mechanism and bringing the miners back to the surface safely.