Five more bodies were recovered from the debris of a stone quarry that collapsed in the Billi Markundi mining area of Uttar Pradesh’s Sonbhadra district, raising the total death toll to six, a district official confirmed on Monday.
District Magistrate BN Singh stated that the additional bodies were retrieved during the intervening night of Sunday and Monday.
“One body was recovered in the night. The deceased was identified as Indrajit (30), a resident of Panari, Obra. The other deceased persons have been identified as Santosh Yadav (30), brother of Indrajit, Ravindra alias Nanak (18), Ramkhelavan (32) and Kripashankar,” the District Magistrate said.
The first body, belonging to Raju Singh (30), had been pulled out on Sunday. Uttar Pradesh minister and local MLA Sanjeev Kumar Gond visited the accident site shortly after the collapse occurred on Saturday evening. Speaking to reporters, he said, “Around a dozen labourers might be trapped under the debris.”
Additional Director General of Police (ADG), Varanasi Zone, Piyush Mordia explained on Sunday that rescue operations were progressing slowly because of the presence of several heavy stones in the rubble.
Sonbhadra Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Verma said the Obra police station received information about the incident around 4:30 pm on Saturday. The caller reported that a portion of a stone quarry operated by Krishna Mining Works had suddenly collapsed, burying several workers under the debris.
Based on a complaint filed by Chhotu Yadav, a resident of Parsoi Tola, who stated that his two brothers were among those trapped, police registered a case against the quarry owner and his business partners—Madhusudan Singh and Dilip Keshari, both residents of Obra. The three accused are yet to be arrested.
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Samajwadi Party’s Robertsganj MP, Chotelal Kharwar, levelled serious allegations against illegal mining activities in the region. He claimed the mine was being illegally operated by the mining mafia in collusion with the local police.
“There is a possibility that 12 to 15 people are trapped under the stones. Tribals are being killed in many ways, and large-scale illegal mining is being carried out in this area. One or two such incidents occur every month in this region, but how the mining mafia manages everything remains unknown,” the MP said.
He further alleged that illegal mining was taking place with the active collusion of police and administrative officials. Kharwar also claimed that police personnel stopped him from meeting the families of the trapped workers.
Demanding justice for the victims, the MP called for Rs 50 lakh compensation to each affected family and a government job for one member of every victim’s family. Rescue operations continue at the site amid fears that more workers may still be trapped beneath the massive stones.
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