Two contract workers repairing a lift at Chinakuri coal mine of Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) died instantly after falling into a 613m-deep mine at Kulti near Asansol on Tuesday afternoon.

The deceased were Anil Yadav, 28, and Akash Bauri, 30, both residents of Jharkhand. Three more workers suffered minor injuries after some parts of the defunct lift fell on them.

Sources said a Jharkhand-based private agency had been assigned the task of repairing lifts at Mines No 1 and No 2 of the Chinakuri colliery, which is the deepest coal mine in the country.

One of the five workers said: “Three of us were positioned at a higher level from the lift’s top. Anil and Akash were working while standing on the defunct lift top. As the cables of the lift being repaired snapped, both Anil and Akash went into the mine along with the lift. Both died on the spot.”

The repair was stalled after the accident that occurred around 3.30pm. Later, the ECL’s mine rescue officials arrived at the spot and after an effort lasting for nearly three hours, they pulled the bodies out of the pit. The bodies were taken to Asansol district hospital for post-mortem.

The bodies were lifted with the help of another working elevator at Pit No 1.

Local trade union workers demanded compensation of Rs 15 lakh for the next of kin of the victims. Work at the mine was stopped after the accident.

Kulti BJP MLA Ajay Poddar said the workers were not trained properly to carry out the risky job. He also demanded compensation. The deceased workers’ relatives arrived in the evening and refused to allow the autopsy till the private company or the ECL promised compensation.