Rajasthan Mine Lift Collapse: 14 Hindustan Copper Limited Officials Saved, One Official Found Deceased

Relief teams successfully rescued fourteen officials of Hindustan Copper Limited who were trapped inside a mine in Neem Ka Thana, Rajasthan, on Wednesday morning, following a lift collapse on Tuesday night. Unfortunately, one official was found deceased at the scene.

According to the reports earlier in the morning, Fifteen officials from Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL) were trapped in Rajasthan's Neem Ka Thana district's Kolihan mine on Tuesday night due to a lift collapse. At that time, three individuals have been rescued, while efforts continue to rescue the remaining 12.

Photo Credit: X/ANI

The three individuals who have been rescued are AK Sharma, Hans Ram, and Pritam Singh. The 12 individuals yet to be rescued are Upendra Pandey, Banendu Bhandari, Niranjan Sahoo, GD Gupta, Ramesh Narayan Singh, Vinod Singh Shekhawat, AK Baira, Arnav Bhabdari, Yashraj Meena, Vikas Pareek, Karan Gehlot, and Bhagirath.

Earlier, it was reported that Fourteen officials and members of a vigilance team of PSU Hindustan Copper Limited were trapped in a Kolihan mine in Rajasthan's Neem Ka Thana district when a vertical lift collapsed on Tuesday. Rescue operations were started on Tuesday night, and some of the officials are likely injured in the incident, police said.

The spot of the incident was reached by a rescue team, as told by Praveen Nayak, superintendent of police of Neem ka Thana district, to news agency PTI. No casualties from the mine lift collapse have been reported till now.

Rajasthan Mine Lift Collapse

The vertical shaft used for transporting personnel collapsed in the Kolihan mine in the district, and the Hindustan Copper officials are stuck at a depth of several hundred meters. Rescue operations are currently underway. The spot was reached soon after the incident was reported by BJP MLA Dharmpal Gurjar to take stock of the situation.

The shaft collapsed at around 8 pm on Tuesday night, and ambulances and rescue teams were asked to prepare for an emergency situation shortly after reaching the spot.

"I had gone to Haryana for an election campaign, but when this information was received, immediate action was taken to come here. Everyone was called, and the entire situation was assessed. The SDM was called here," Dharampal Gurjar told ANI.

The BJP MLA further said, "The rescue team is engaged, and 6-7 ambulances are standing here... The entire administration is on alert. No casualty has been reported so far, and it is expected that everyone will come out safely."

Nursing staff of Jhunjhunu Government Hospital, Shishram, reported that fractures have been suffered by some people in their hands and some in their legs. Everyone has been declared safe. Three people are seriously injured, while the rest are safe. The rescue operation was carried out with the help of a ladder.

Dr. Pravin Sharma of Jhunjhunu Government Hospital stated that all the people trapped in the mine have been rescued safely. It was reported that three of them were in serious condition and have been referred to Jaipur.

As rescue operations continue, a post was made by Rajasthan chief minister Bhajanlal Sharma on X, stating, "Information was received about an accident caused by breakage of the lift rope in the Kolihan mine of Hindustan Copper Limited in Khetri, Jhunjhunu. The concerned officials have been instructed to immediately reach the spot, speed up the relief and rescue operations, and provide all possible help and health facilities to the affected people..."

According to preliminary information, the incident occurred when the vigilance team, along with senior officials of the state-owned company, went inside the mine for an inspection. When the team was about to come up, a rope of the shaft or 'cage' broke, due to which around 14 people were stuck, the police said. Attempts are being made to move the lift manually and extract the trapped personnel.