M A I N   N E W S

Miner’s body found

DHANBAD, Feb 5 (PTI) — Rescuers today retrieved the body of one of the trapped 38 miners from the water-filled Bagdihi colliery near here even as a team of Navy divers temporarily halted its mission to locate the others after one frogman fainted, BCCL sources said.

The bloated body of the miner was found floating inside the mine by rescue workers during dewatering operations and later identified to be that of Pritam Singh, a cableman, from his cap lamp no 230, the sources said.

The five-member diving team from Mumbai emerged from the mine at 9.45 pm today after a team member lost consciousness with blood beginning to pour from his mouth, the sources said. The diver was rushed to hospital.

Directorate General of Mine Safety, Director, R.L. Arora, told pti earlier in the day that he did not rule out completely the possibility of survivors among the 38 trapped underground, including two officials, even though over 72 hours had elapsed since 16 million gallons of water inundated the mine.

"According to calculations from our map of the underground area, some miners were working at a higher level in the Bagdihi mine on Friday when water rushed in. These miners could have taken shelter and may be alive,” he said.