Three laborers died of asphyxiation at an illegal coal mine in Surendranagar, Gujarat, police reported. A case has been registered against four individuals for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and efforts are underway to apprehend them, an official stated.
The victims, Lakshman Dabhi (35), Khodabhai Makwana (32), and Viram Keraliya (35), died of asphyxiation on Saturday while digging at a mine near Bhet village in Thangadh taluka, Surendranagar district, according to an official from Muli police station.
The trio did not have helmets, masks, or other safety equipment while working for the accused, the official said added.
According to the first information report (FIR), the accused failed to provide the victims with helmets or other safety gear while employing them to dig a well. The victims died after inhaling gas from the well, the report stated.
A case has been filed against the accused Jashabhai Keraliya, Janak Aniyaria, Khimjibhai Saradia, and Kalpesh Parmar.
The bodies of the deceased laborers have been sent for post-mortem, he added.