Lift collapses in copper mine in Rajasthan, 14 people trapped inside; 10 people rescued so far

JAIPUR: Fourteen people were trapped after a lift collapsed at the Kolihan mine in Jhunjhunu district in Rajasthan last night. Of them, 10 people have been rescued so far. Efforts are on to rescue the remaining 4 persons trapped inside.

Praveen Nayak, Superintendent of Police (SP), Neem Ka Thana, shared the development and said, "10 people have been rescued from the site. In the first slot, 3 people were brought out from the mine, 5 people were rescued in the second slot and 2 more people were brought out in the third slot."

"10 people have been taken out of the mine so far, 3 have been referred to Jaipur. Efforts are currently underway to evacuate the remaining others," said the official.

The incident took place at Hindustan Copper Limited's (HCL's) copper mine in the Neem Ka Thana district in the late hours of Tuesday.

The lift was carrying a vigilance team from Kolkata as well as mine officials. It is believed to have crashed more than 1,800 feet inside the mine.

The incident took place due to the breaking of the rope supporting the lift.

The trapped officials included Chief Vigilance Officer Upendra Pandey, Khetri Copper Complex (KCC) unit head GD Gupta, and Kolihan Mine's Deputy General Manager AK Sharma.

A journalist, Vikas Pareek who had entered the mine as a photographer with the vigilance team was also trapped among the 14 people.

Shortly after receiving information about the lift collapse incident, ambulances rushed to the spot and doctors were asked to prepare for any situation. Efforts are on to raise the lift. Khetri MLA said that people trapped inside the lift are safe and there is no other danger. Police are saying that the trapped people will be rescued very soon. A large police team has arrived at the spot.