Mine disaster averted in Asansol

kolkata: over 150 persons were saved from a possible disaster when they set out to illegally mine after security forces chased them away shortly before an abandoned mine was beginning to cave in. jawans of the central industrial security force warned before they could descend into an abandoned mine, just before a surface area measuring an acre over it caved in at lalbandh in burdwan district.igp (law and order) chayan mukherjee told pti that none had been trapped as a result of the subsidence on wednesday since the miners were chased away from the abandoned mine, about 30 km from the industrial town of asansol. mukherjee said preliminary reports indicated that rampant illegal mining and seepage had led to the massive subsidence. the cisf and the police had cordoned off the area which was inspected by senior district police officials. he said that the police had also not received any complaint from local people at lalbandh, 15 km from barabani, near the raniganj coalbelt, that anyone was missing. chairman-cum-managing director of the eastern coalfields ltd ashok mehta said in dhanbad that a large-scale subsidence had taken place, but there was no information on casualties. mehta said the abandoned mine was located close to ecl's ghorandi colliery. dsp, asansol, soma das told pti in asansol that subsidence was normal during the monsoons. a crack had developed in the area earlier. it subsided on wednesday.