Coal heap collapse at Jharkhand mine kills three women, injures three others

A coal heap collapse at Central Coalfield Limited's Kathara mine in Bokaro district killed three women and injured three people early Thursday. The pile gave way at around 5 a.m. while village women were gathering coal from the heap, according to the Bermo sub‑division police officer. Six individuals were hurt in total; three later died from their injuries, said Bokaro Deputy Commissioner Ajay Nath Jha. The victims who lost their lives were identified as Kaushlya Devi, Pushpa Devi and Sohri Devi. The injured were rushed to a local hospital for treatment. A senior official from CCL labeled the incident as a case of coal theft, suggesting the heap was being illegally stripped when it collapsed. Police from the Kathara police outpost are investigating the circumstances surrounding the theft and the collapse.

Context

Such illegal coal gathering is common in parts of Jharkhand where mining sites are accessible to nearby villagers. Theft often leads to unsafe handling of coal piles, increasing the risk of accidents like this one.