The death toll in the mines mishap at Nirsa rose to five after the completion of rescue work. Cops also constituted a special investigating team led by Rural SP Reshma Rameshan to probe the incident.

The police also lodged an FIR in this regard on the complaint of ECL management against the unidentified persons. In a related development, Dhanbad Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Singh visited the site in Gopinathpur colliery and took details of the incident from the local residents, police officers as well as Eastern Coalfields Limited management.

A team of Central Zone directorate of mines regulator, Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS) led by Director of Mines Mukesh Kumar meanwhile also visited the site and carried out the site inspection and took details of ECL officers.

Later talking to the media at the district collectorate this evening Singh said “Altogether five local residents who went to at Gopinathpur colliery of ECL yesterday died due to mishap. Since the area belongs to ECL, we have instructed officials to ensure full proof security arrangement at all its mining sites to restrict the entry of any unskilled persons."

“We have also instructed both the BCCL and ECL officials operating their mines in Nirsa or elsewhere in the district to seek the help of the district administration and police and if they require any additional security force we have instructed cops to help them,” Singh added.

He further said, “Sometimes the local residents carry out coal picking on their own so officials have been asked to identify such organized groups which are using these local residents to carry out coal picking for them. As many of times family members of the deceased take away the bodies, we would like to assure them no legal action would be taken against them."