Dhanbad, Oct 16 (IANS): At least two people have died while about a dozen people are feared trapped or buried after an illegal coal mine collapsed in the Mugma area of ??Eastern Coalfields Limited in ??Dhanbad.

The accident took place on Monday morning in the ECL mine in Kapasara of Mugma area. The work at the mine had been outsourced, but it was shut for the last five months. However, illegal mining was continuing on the sly.

As per reports, more than a dozen people had gone to the mine to do illegal mining on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday. During this time, a portion of the mine’s roof caved in and two people died after being buried under the debris.

The bodies of the dead miners were taken away by the local people. The deceased have been identified as Yamuna Rajvanshi, a resident of Siyaraknali of Agyarkund Panchayat and Tapas Das, a resident of Kesharcooler.

A dozen people are still feared trapped in the mine and locals have gathered at the spot. None of the ECL officers have visited the spot so far. However, the ECL is sending a JCB machine to carry out earth filling work near the caved mine.

Residents of the area are agitated and are blaming the ECL for the accident.

BJP leader Pradeep Bauri and JMM leader Lakhi Devi, who reached the spot, said that such incidents are happening frequently, but no arrangements are being made by the ECL management to keep illegal miners out. There is neither any security arrangement nor has any wall or barbed wire fencing been erected.