Bhubaneswar, Aug. 13: Dharnas and protests continued near Mahanadi Coal Field’s Kulda open cast mine where a coal dump crashed on Saturday killing 10 people.

Rescue teams today were unable to trace any more bodies though some are still believed to be buried under the heap.

Sundargarh MLA Jogesh Singh continued his dharna at the Kulda project office of the MCL, demanding action against the company officials and higher compensation for the bereaved families.

Sources said former Union minister Jual Oram also staged protests at Bolinga village, which has suffered the most with seven villagers killed in the mishap. The villagers are demanding Rs 30 lakh to Rs 50 lakh as ex gratia from the company.

Sources said the search would continue with focus on a particular spot in the massive coal dump from where a stink has been emanating for the past few days. Eyewitnesses said they had seen some people getting buried under the heap at the place where rescue workers assisted by excavators are yet to reach. Four persons are said to be still missing from Bolinga, the largest village on the periphery of Kulda mines.

Sundargarh superintendent of police Sanjeev Arora said the villagers today accepted the bodies of those killed in the mishap.

“They have received the bodies,” he said adding that a case under section 304 of the IPC (culpable homicide no amounting to murder) had been registered in connection with the mishap at Hemigiri police station.

The MCL public relations officer Dikken Mehera said officials from the Directorate General of Mines Safety had visited the area and would file their report with recommendations on the security aspect.