Three persons, including a deputy general manager, were killed and 32 others injured in a blast in the coal mines of the public sector South Eastern Coalfield Limited (SECL) in Koria district.
SECL deputy general manager, operations, S.K. Goswami, along with two of his colleagues — Nirmal Jangde and Radheshyam were killed and 32 others injured following an air blast at a coal mine at Anjani Hills in Chirmiri area, District collector Alok Awasthi said.
Six employees working in the mine are still missing, he said.
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Fifteen of the 32 injured were critically injured and have been admitted at the Apollo hospital in Bilaspur, Awasthi said, adding, while others have been admitted to the divisional hospital in Chirmiri.
Mining in the coal mine had been stopped since Wednesday following a gas leakage, and a team was working to repair it, he said.