Death Count Rises To 5 In Haryana Landslide, Rescue Ops To Continue

One more body was pulled out from under the debris at a mining site in Dadam in Bhiwani, taking the death count to five in an accident triggered by a landslide.

Four bodies were recovered on Saturday after the incident. Two people were injured. A BJP MP from the area alleged violation of mining parameters at the site.

Meanwhile, officials said the rescue operations will continue for the time being to clear the debris and to rule out the possibility of any other person being trapped there. "The body of a worker was pulled out from under the debris late Sunday evening," SHO of Tosham police station Sukhbir said over the phone.

The victim was about 50 years of age and belonged to a village near Rohtak.

Speaking to reporters in Bhiwani after visiting the accident site, ruling BJP MP from Bhiwani-Mahendergarh Dharambir Singh alleged violation of several laid down norms for mining at four sites in the Dadam mining zone.

He said he will urge Chief Minister Manohal Lal Khattar to order a thorough probe into the landslide and its reasons so that such incidents are not repeated. Speaking to reporters in Panchkula on the sidelines of an event, Mr Khattar, however, said he has directed the mining department to find out whether there was any violation of laid down parameters for mining at the site.

"If any violation is found, action will be taken," he said.

Bhiwani Deputy Commissioner Rippudaman Singh, who visited the site and had been regularly taking stock of the rescue operation, had earlier in the day said the rescue operation at the site was still going on and it was being led by the NDRF.

Before the body of the fifth man was pulled out from under the debris, SDM Manish Phogat had said, "At least one more person continues to be trapped under the debris." The SDM had not ruled out the possibility of one more person such as a helper being trapped as their records may not have been maintained.

"The rescue operation is likely to continue until Monday afternoon," Mr Phogat said. Shifting big boulders was consuming time, he said.

After the incident around 9 am on Saturday, police had said around half a dozen dumper trucks and some machines were buried under the debris.

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij had said several rescue teams, including those from the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and the Army, were pressed into service.

Haryana Congress president Kumari Selja Sunday demanded a judicial probe, monitored by a sitting Supreme Court judge.

In a statement, Ms Selja, a former Union minister, alleged that illegal mining was going on in Dadam and deep digging was going on at the site without permission.

She said the Congress demands a financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh for the family of each of those killed in the incident and Rs 10 lakh to those injured. Holding the BJP-JJP government responsible for the incident, former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Hooda had on Saturday alleged that there had been a "scam of thousands of crores" in the Dadam mining zone.

"Even the Supreme Court has made a serious remark on this matter and illegal mining is being done in this area by flouting all rules but the government is not conducting a fair investigation. The opposition demands that there should be a judicial inquiry into the entire scam," Mr Hooda had said.

Senior Congress leader and MLA from Tosham, Kiran Choudhary, has demanded an independent probe, alleging that the mining in the area has been going on in an illegal manner.

Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala too had alleged that the illegal mining was going on under the Khattar regime and asked the BJP government who was responsible for these deaths.