4 people killed in landslide, more feared trapped at mining site in Haryana's Bhiwani

Bhiwani (Haryana), January 1

Four people have been killed and many others are feared trapped following a landslide at Dadam mining site here on Saturday.

Police said around half-a-dozen dumper trucks and some machines were buried under the debris caused by the landslide which occurred around 9 am in Tosham block.

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij said several rescue teams have been pressed into service.

Vij gave the information about the death toll in a tweet.

“I am deeply saddened over the incident that took place at the mining site in Bhiwani district of Haryana. The rescue operation is being run by the administration. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team from Ghaziabad, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) from Madhuban and an Army unit from Hisar have been called. So far four people have died,” said Vij in a tweet.

However, Bhiwani Chief Medical Officer Raghuvir Shandilya said three persons have been killed and one was injured in this incident.

He said Toofan Sharma (30), a native of Bihar and Binder (23), who hailed from Baganwala in Haryana’s Jind district and one Sanjay have died in the incident.

Gunjan has suffered injuries and he is stable, the CMO said.

He said a team of doctors have been deputed and some ambulances have also been deployed at the site.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (Siwani) Manoj Kumar said four to five people may be trapped under the debris.

Some locals, however, claimed that the number of those trapped could be more but there was no official confirmation on this.

Sub Divisional Magistrate Manish Phogat said the teams of the NDRF, the SDRF and the Army have reached the site and begun the rescue operations.

Earlier in the day, a blast operation was carried out to break the heavy rocks, said Phogat.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar expressed grief over the deaths in the landslide.

The CM issued directions for bringing cranes, fire brigade and other machinery from the adjoining districts to clear the debris so that the people buried under it could be rescued.

State minister J P Dalal took stock of the situation and told reporters that the administration’s priority was to rescue the trapped people and that a team of doctors had arrived at the site.

Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda expressed grief over the incident and demanded compensation for the families of the deceased labourers.

Holding the BJP-JJP government responsible for the whole accident, Hooda alleged that there had been a “scam of thousands of crores” in the Dadam mining zone.

“Even the Supreme Court has made a serious remark on this matter and illegal mining is being done in this area by flouting all the rules but the government is not conducting a fair investigation. The Opposition demands that there should be a judicial inquiry into the entire scam,” Hooda said in a statement. 

Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged that illegal mining was going on under the Khattar regime and asked the BJP government who was responsible for these deaths.

In a tweet, he also asked the state government if it would order a judicial probe into the alleged mining racket. PTI