Three mining labourers have been killed after a portion of the roof collapsed on them at a stone quarry in Nalhati in Birbhum district today. One more labourer was critically injured and was admitted at Rampurhat Medical College Hospital.

The deceased have been identified as Mukesh Mal, Rajesh Mirdha and Kamal Mirdha. The stone quarry is situated in Mahishgoria village near Birbhum – Jharkhand border under Nalhati police station area.

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Due to incessant rainfall in the region in the past one month, the top layer has become soft and collapsed upon them. The doctors of Rampurhat Medical College Hospital have pronounced three of the victims brought-dead.

Local villagers have alleged that most of these stone quarries in Nalhati and Mohammad Bazar areas in Birbhum district are privately owned and flout all laws and norms. Only recently, a labourer was killed in an accident in another stone quarry in Nalhati. The incident occurred around 10 am today. Others have managed to escape.

Nalhati police have sent the bodies for post-mortem at Rampurhat Medical College Hospital and started a case. The families of the victims have sought compensation from the stone quarry owner.

So far, there has been no official statement on this issue by either the Birbhum district police or the district civil administration.