Two employees died, and one was injured when a slab fell at the Chikhla mines, owned by Manganese Ore (India) Limited (MOIL) in Bhandara district, officials said on Wednesday.
Workers trapped under debris
The accident happened at Vertical Two Underground Level 3, at a depth of 100 meters, at approximately 9:00 AM during the morning work shift. The collapse of the slab buried three workers under the rubble, resulting in two instant fatalities.
As per the District Disaster Management Cell (DDMC), the victims were Vijay Nandlal (50) and Arun Jeevanlal Chormar (41), who were permanent workers of the mine. The injured laborer, Shankar Sahadev Vishwakarma (56), was rescued and taken to Laksh Hospital in Bhandara for treatment.
Authorities confirm casualties
Officially, in a statement, the DDMC released the details of the accident: "On March 5, 2025, at MOIL’s Chikhla mines, Vertical Two Underground Level 3, at a depth of 100 meters, while workers from the first shift were working between approximately 09:00 and 09:30 AM, a slab collapsed, trapping three workers under the debris. Two workers died on the spot, while one injured worker was sent to Laksh Hospital for treatment."
Postmortem and investigation underway
The bodies of the victims have been taken to a sub-district hospital for autopsy. At the same time, an investigation has been launched to determine why the slab collapsed. The authorities will be examining the safety precautions in place at the site to avert accidents at the underground mines.
