The government today announced an ex-gratia compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family of 10 workers deceased in the Rajmahal Open Cast Expansion Project accident in Goda district, Jharkhand. The compensation will be in addition to the amount to be paid under the Workmen's Compensation Act.

According to a Coal Ministry statement, Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL) has reported an incidence of overburden dump slide/subsidence in the second shift of December 29 at about 7.30 pm. Two persons have met with injuries and treated at the Area Hospital. One of them has been sent to Durgapur for further treatment.

The statement noted that, “Prima facie, it is observed that the incidence is unprecedented, since an area of 300 m length by 110 m wide solid floor of the overburden dump area has slid down by about 35 m involving around 9.5 million cubic meters of earth material. This could be due to failure of the bench edge along the hidden fault line/slip.”

A team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been engaged for rescue and relief operations. Till 11 am today, 3 excavators and 7 dump trucks have been located. About 9 bodies have been recovered and all 10 mining equipment extracted.

The government also said that an inquiry has been ordered in the incident by the Director General of Mines Safety and a high level committee of experts has been constituted by Coal India Ltd to investigate into the cause of the accident.

A control room has been set up at the project office of Rajmahal Open Cast Expansion Project of ECL.

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