Rock falls on stone quarry in Odisha: 2 labourers killed, many still trapped; Accident occurred while drilling

A large boulder fell in a stone quarry in Odisha's Dhenkanal district. Police said the accident took place on Saturday evening when the labourers were working on drilling and extracting stones in a mine near Gopalpur village. According to local media reports, 2 labourers were killed in the accident, while some are still trapped. Fire service teams, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams, dog squads and rescue machines have been sent to the area, a fire service officer conducting the rescue operation said. Reports also stated that the mine did not have a blasting permit. The District Mining Office issued a notice to the lease holder on September 8, 2025 directing the closure of the mine. Dhenkanal Collector Ashish Ishwar Patil said two bodies have been recovered so far. The rescue operation began at 7 am on Sunday and is still ongoing. One of the deceased could be from Balasore and the other from Mayurbhanj or Keonjhar. His identity is yet to be confirmed. They continued mining even after the lease ended. Legal action will be taken against illegal mining. -------------Two people were killed in a road accident in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh after a stone fell on them while drilling a hole in a stone mine in Sonbhadra district in November. 2 labourers died on the spot. It is said that around 15 to 18 labourers were working at the time of the accident. None of which has come out. The accident took place at around 3 pm at Krishna Mining Works on Rashpahari hill in Billi Markundi mining area under Obra police station area.