Dhanbad Land Subsidence: Father, Daughter, Neighbour Buried Alive in House Collapse

Dhanbad: A 50-year-old man and his 16-year-old daughter were among three buried alive after the ground beneath their house subsided at Tandabadi village in Dhanbad district on Tuesday evening. The deceased have been identified as Monu Oraon, his daughter, Geeta, and their neighbour Sarita Devi, 40.

Witnesses said Geeta could be heard crying for help for quite some time, but the lack of immediate rescue facilities left villagers helpless. The situation worsened due to a power outage. Rescue operations were delayed until a generator was arranged. A joint rescue team later worked through the night and recovered the bodies.

The subsidence, which created a nearly 20-ft deep crater, also caused cracks in nearby houses, with at least three homes damaged. Many families spent the night in nearby temples and school premises, while some shifted to relatives’ houses in safer areas. The district administration on Wednesday set up relief camps for the affected families but many villagers refused to stay there, citing lack of basic amenities.

Deputy development commissioner Sunny Raj held a review meeting with district officials and directed them to ensure adequate facilities in relief camps.

After BCCL officials arrived at the site on Wednesday, irate villagers allegedly forced them to leave. Protesters also blocked the main road, disrupting vehicle movement for nearly four hours before police managed to clear the area.

Residents blamed illegal mining and coal theft as the primary reasons behind frequent land subsidence in the area.

BCCL officials clarified that while the site falls under the company, no mining operations are being carried out there, and parts of the land are privately owned. BCCL CMD Manoj Agarwal urged local representatives to encourage residents to relocate under rehabilitation schemes and vacate affected and subsidence-prone areas to prevent such incidents.