Asansol, West Bengal:
Six people were rescued on Saturday evening after being trapped in an abandoned coal mine at Jamuria in Asansol-Raniganj belt in Burdwan district for over 30 hours.
West Bengal Agriculture minister and local MLA Malay Ghatak said that the six were taken to nearby Kalla Hospital for medical check-up and their medical condition is stable.
The villagers were trapped as the abandoned mine caved in on Friday afternoon.
Two rescue teams from Eastern Coalfields Ltd and the state worked in tandem for hours drilling a parallel to the abandoned mine and the six were taken out one by one at around 5:30 pm, said Mr Ghatak, who is camping at the site.
Anxiety gave way to jubilation and relief among relatives and neighbours as the men came out wearing oxygen masks; some of them even hugged the rescue personnel.
The coal-rich area is dotted with illegal mines as a section of locals regularly extract the mineral for selling in open market.