Many trapped in coal mine collapse:

Subcontinent

At least nine Indian miners were killed and nearly two dozen trapped when mine waste collapsed at a coalfield run by state-owned Coal India Limited , officials said on Friday, hitting production at one of the country’s largest mines.

The accident occurred in Jharkhand state on Thursday evening at the Lalmatia mine owned by Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL), a subsidiary of the world’s largest miner.

“So far, nine bodies have been recovered,” R.R. Amitabh, a general manager at the ECL project office told Reuters.

A rescue operation was underway and the exact number of people trapped had yet to ascertained, he said.

Coal India has a poor safety record, with 135 accidents reported last year, killing 37 people and injuring 141, the company said in a report, highlighting concern about working conditions.

Operations at the mine in Godda district, about 280 kms (175 miles) from the state capital, Ranchi, have been stopped, Amitabh said.

The mine has an annual capacity of 17 million tonnes and accounts for about half of ECL’s coal production, he said. Last month, ECL accounted for about 9 percent of Coal India’s total production of 50 million tonnes. (RTRS)