Patna:

Three women in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad were buried alive on Sunday as land sunk around them while they were out to relieve themselves as they didn’t have toilets at their homes. One of the women was caught in the subsidence first, two others who had accompanied her tried to help, but were buried too.

The victims — Parla Devi, Thandhi Devi, and Mandava Devi — lived in the Dhobi Kulhi area of Gondudih colliery — which has unstable old underground workings, and is fire and subsidence affected. The Gondudih Khas Kusunda Colliery is operated by Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), a subsidiary of Coal India Limited.

A huge landslide occurred with a loud noise near Hilltop High-rise outsourcing company near Gondudih colliery in Dhanbad when the women had stepped out to relieve themselves, locals said, adding that they tried to save the women but failed.

Police and mine rescue teams of the BCCL arrived hours later even when they were immediately informed, locals alleged. Angered by the incident, the villagers accused BCCL of negligence and said the tragedy happened as people haven’t been properly rehabilitated from the subsidence-prone areas.

A large number of police and CISF personnel are present at the spot as rescue teams are trying to recover the three bodies. Dhanbad circle officer Prashant Kumar Layak said rescue operation is going, and process of providing compensation to the family members will start after the recovery of the bodies.