Five more bodies have been recovered from the rubble of a stone quarry that collapsed in Uttar Pradesh's Sonbhadra district, raising the death toll to six.
Rescue operations to free labourers trapped under massive boulders have continued for nearly 48 hours, with several workers still believed to be buried.
UP minister Sanjeev Kumar Gond and Robertsganj MP Chotelal Kharwar said around a dozen workers could be trapped after a portion of the Krishna Mining Works quarry collapsed on Saturday evening.
The state government announced a three-tier probe into the incident by the police, mining department, and district administration.
Sonbhadra District Magistrate BN Singh confirmed that five bodies were recovered on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday.
"One body was recovered in the night. The deceased was identified as Indrajit (30), a resident of Panari, Obra. The other deceased persons have been identified as Santosh Yadav (30), Ravindra alias Nanak (18), Ramkhelavan (32) and Kripashankar."
Raju Singh (30) was recovered earlier on Sunday. UP minister Ravindra Jaiswal, who met the victims’ families, said a three-tier inquiry will be conducted.
Jaiswal, who visited the post-mortem house on directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Yogi Adityanath, expressed his condolences.
He said each deceased worker’s family will receive around Rs 20 lakh, and all injured or affected labourers will be supported under Labour Department schemes.
"A three-tier probe will be carried out into the incident, involving the police, the Mining Department, and the district administration," he said. Jaiswal added that strict action will be taken against those found guilty of illegal mining or safety violations.
ADG Varanasi Zone Piyush Mordia said clearing the rubble is slow due to the heavy stones.
The police have booked the owner of Krishna Mining Works and his partners, Madhusudan Singh and Dilip Keshari, residents of Obra, after a complaint by Chhotu Yadav, whose two brothers are trapped under the rubble, SP Abhishek Verma said.
The three accused have not yet been arrested. Robertsganj MP Chotelal Kharwar alleged that the mine was run illegally by the mafia in collusion with local police.
"There is a possibility that 12 to 15 people are trapped under the stones. Tribals are being killed in many ways, and large-scale illegal mining is being carried out in this area. One or two such incidents occur every month in this region," he said.
Kharwar claimed police stopped him from meeting the families of trapped workers and demanded Rs 50 lakh in compensation and a government job for each family.
