Divers retrieve body of trapped miner

Dhanbad, Feb 5: 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 naval 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, they said.

It was not immediately known if the divers would return to the mine again tonight. The team had entered the mine through pit number five of adjacent Jairampur colliery.