Two killed in rock collapse in unauthorised stone quarry in Odisha's Dhenkanal

At least two persons were killed after rocks collapsed at an unauthorised stone quarry in Odishas Dhenkanal district officials said on Sunday reported news agency PTIThe incident took place on Saturday evening when some workers were engaged in drilling and exploration of stone from the quarry located near Gopalpur village under Motanga police station limits in the district they saidRescue teams rushed to spotThe exact cause behind the incident is not yet clear Teams of local fire service Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force ODRAF along with dog squad were engaged in rescue operations an officer said reported PTIDhenkanal Collector Ashish Ishwar Patil and SP Abhinav Sonkar have reached the spot to supervise the rescue operation reported PTIVictims identified as migrant workersAs per available information only two persons were there and two bodies were recovered One person belonged to Balasore district while another deceased was from either Keonjhar or Mayurbhanj district Their identities have not yet been established Patil told reportersQuarry lease and blasting permission had expiredBlasting permission at the stone quarry expired in September while its lease period ended in December 2025 he saidWe will take legal action against the mine lease holder as blasting and mining continued at the quarry after expiry of the lease period Patil said reported PTIThe collector said that enforcement drives against illegal mining in the district will be strengthened in the coming daysThe stone quarry was sealed following the incident Local Tahsildar Manoj Majhi said police personnel will be deployed at the quarry so that no one can enter the area reported PTINaveen Patnaik expresses grief seeks probeMeanwhile Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik in a post on X said I am deeply saddened to learn that workers lost their lives due to a rockfall following an explosion in a stone quarry in Dhenkanal At this sorrowful time I convey my deepest condolences to the family members along with prayers for the eternal peace of the departed soulsLet appropriate investigations be conducted into the circumstances under which this incident occurred and the state of the workers safety measures and let the government direct its attention toward immediately expediting rescue operations