Two SCCL staff killed during rescue operations

ADILABAD: Two members of a rescue team deployed by the Singareni Collieries Company Limited in floodhit areas died while undertaking rescue operations in Kumuram Bheem Asifabad district.

The deceased were identified as Satish and Ramu, both of Mandamarri. Their bodies were fished out by additional rescue teams after they failed to return on Wednesday evening. The deaths spurred questions about the expertise of SCCL in dealing with natural calamities, with the family members of the deceased and union leaders saying that the two were not trained swimmers. They also staged a protest at the hospital premises.

Senior leaders of the AITUC and TBGKS sought payment of compensation by SCCL to the families of the two deceased. The unions alleged that the SCCL management was sending rescue teams to impress the state government, without considering their level of training or assessing the risk level at the spots. Notably, the management of the SCCL issued a circular on September 27, 2016, against sending coal mine rescue teams for other rescue operations.