Eleven persons buried alive under mining waste

A total of eleven people were buried alive and thirteen others were injured when a tipper truck was unloading mining waste like ash and iron ore at dumping yard in Hospet in Karnataka’s Bellary district.

The tragedy took place when close to fifty people rushed towards the tipper carrying the mining waste arrived in the dumping yard late on Saturday night. Even as the people were making a scramble for the iron ore, the tipper, whose rear wheel was on loose soil, tilted and buried eleven persons under the debris.

Thirteen others, who were among the group of people trying to collect iron ore, also sufferred injuries in the mishap. Rescue operations continued till the early hours of Sunday and the injured persons were admitted to a private hospital for medical treatment.

The mining waste, which had been generated from the Jindal Vijaynagar Steel Plant, is routinely dumped into a yard belonging to the plant. Sifting solid iron ore from the mining waste had turned out be a lucrative vocation for a large number of people in the region. The scrap iron collected from the waste is sold at Rs 3 to 4 a kg to a few mini steel plants.

The management of the steel plant claimed that the people barge into the yard whenever a tipper carrying mining waste comes for unloading despite the management erecting a fence and deploying security personnel. However, the management said a decision will be taken on payment of compensation to the kith and kin of the victims.

Meanwhile, the Superintendent of Bellary district police Amrit Paul told reporters that a case of negligence has been booked against the Jindal Vijaynagar Steel Plant.