At least 40 people are feared trapped inside a coal mine in the east Indian state of Jharkhand after a section of the mine collapsed, local media reported.
Officials said a part of the mine in the Godda district caved-in on Thursday, injuring at least four people and leaving more than 40 people trapped under rubble.
Officials stated that rescue operations had to be delayed until Friday morning because of bad weather, including poor visibility due to fog.
Raghubar Das, chief minister of Jharkhand state, said he was "monitoring the situation closely" and that he had "asked concerned officials to intensify rescue operations".
Jharkhand (Lalmatia) mine collapse: 40-50 workers feared trapped under the debris, rescue operations on. NDRF team from Patna on the way. pic.twitter.com/fYyK0XAhmI
— ANI (@ANI_news) December 30, 2016
Dozens of vehicles and machinery were also covered and trapped under piles of debris, officials stated.
Local media reported that the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team would reach the site by midday.
Jharkand is one of India's poorest states. Almost 40 percent of its population lives under the poverty line while more than half of the states' districts have poverty levels that exceed 40 percent.
....