A man and his wife lost their lives when the soil caved in on them while they were illegally digging for coal in a village in Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol district, police said on Monday.
The incident happened around 6 pm on Sunday in Dhangawan village, under Budhar police station limits.
According to Budhar police station in-charge Sanjay Jaiswal, a group of people were digging for coal illegally along the banks of the Son River when the ground suddenly collapsed. Police arrived at the scene and found a man and a woman trapped under the debris.
The victims were identified as Omkar Yadav (40) and his wife Parvati (38). Three others who were present managed to escape unharmed.
Shahdol Superintendent of Police (SP) Ramji Shrivastava stated that due to continuous illegal coal digging, a large amount of loose soil had accumulated along the riverbank. This unstable soil eventually gave way, leading to the tragedy.
Authorities are now clearing the debris to ensure no more people are trapped. An investigation is ongoing.
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