Durgapur, Jan. 4: A patch of land over a Ranigunj coal mine today caved in and smoke started billowing from its cracks only about 5km from an abandoned pit that has been ablaze over the past few days.

The 200sqft block at Nimcha, about 230km from Cal- cutta, subsided with a rumble and panic-stricken villagers started fleeing their homes.

At Nimcha village, about 50 metres from the cave-in spot, several houses developed cracks on their walls. A cloud of smoke hung over the area through the day, making breathing difficult.

Eastern Coalfields Ltd cordoned off the area and put up a danger notice. Its workers have started filling up the cracks with sand and mud.

Villagers gheraoed K.P. Singh, the general manager of ECL’s Satgram mining area, accusing the company of lifting coal without taking precautions against subsidence. “We live in perpetual fear,” said Sitaram Mukherjee, 35, an advocate.

Singh said: “This is not the time to blame anybody. We are filling up the cavity.”

Asansol subdivisional officer A.P. Roy said Nimcha residents may have to be shifted if the directorate-general of mines safety declared the village unsafe. “We have requested the DGMS to conduct the survey.”

At Chunagari in Barakar, on Bengal’s border with Jharkhand, Nemai Chand Bauri saw smoke and flames in the garden where he cultivates vegetables. Bharat Coking Coal Ltd had declared the entire Barakar town unsafe a few years ago but its residents have refused to leave.