Jan 18, 2025 04:51 PM IST
An overhead coal hopper, used to store coal for the boiler, collapsed onto a workers’ rest room at 6 pm on Thursday
Bhubaneswar: The bodies of two of the three workers from a cement company in Odisha’s Sundargarh district, who had gone missing following the collapse of a coal hopper, were recovered from the plant site on Saturday morning, said police.
An overhead coal hopper, used to store coal for the boiler, collapsed onto a workers’ rest room at 6 pm on Thursday. Around 64 workers trapped under debris were rescued from the boiler area of the captive power plant at the production line 2 of Dalmia Bharat Cement Company (DCBL) in Rajgangpur.
Officials at the Dalmia Bharat Cement Company site said that the bodies were recovered after an extensive search. However, their identities remain unconfirmed at this time.
“The search continues for the third worker,” added the officer.
By Friday morning, 64 of the 67 workers had been rescued, while three remained trapped under the debris. “The missing workers were identified as Ranjit Bhol (32), Dasarathi Patra (42), and Sushant Rout (55). The trio was engaged by the Operational Energy Group of Tamil Nadu, a provider of power plant services,” said the officer.
The company announced an ex-gratia of ₹25 lakh and ₹10 lakh insurance for the families of the deceased workers. Also, the families will receive jobs in the company, a house in Rajgangpur, and the company will cover the study expenses of their children up to Class 12.
Officials from the company said that they are prioritising the search and rescue operations. “We have started an internal investigation regarding the mishap. Safety protocols are under review to prevent future occurrences,” said a company official.
On November 26 last year, the overhead conveyor belt structure at the DCBL plant collapsed onto Rajgangpur’s main road, disrupting traffic for nearly 48 hours. Although no one was injured in the incident, it sparked public outrage in the area.
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