DUMKA | Jan 05, 2017: Rescue operation at the Lalmatia coalmine resumed after 12 hours on Wednesday. Operation was withheld on Tuesday evening following landslides.

However, with the delay in digging out more trapped miners, rescue volunteers are losing hope.

"With the lapse of five days since the rescue operation started, we are least hopeful about any trapped miner being alive," BN shukla, director (mines operation) of the ECL, who has been monitoring the rescue operation, said.

Shukla said the rescue operation would continue till the family members insisted for the same. He added the operations got delayed due to instances of landsliding.

Altogether, 18 bodies have so far been recovered from the debris and according to the list handed over by Mahalaxmi, the Gujarat based mining company been outsourced by the ECL for coal excavation, there were 23 workers engaged on that fateful day.

Those feared to have still been trapped include Lalu Khan of Madhya Pradesh, Madhur Patel of Gujrat, Gagan Singh of Bhagalpur (Bihar), Parwej Alam of Haihal (Ranchi) and Bhim Ram of Taimur.

The high level team constituted by the Coal India chairman, returned after investigating the site for two days on Monday and Tuesday.

"It will take a month to analyze the findings of the inquiry of the central team so as to be finally submitted to the chairman," Shukla said adding the separate investigation led by the deputy director general of DGMS at Sitarampur (West Bengal).

Meanwhile, politicians continue to throng the collapse site at Lamatia. Former chief minister and JVM(P) president Babulal Marandi, who visited the site, expressed his sympathy towards the victims' family who are still waiting to receive the bodies of their kins.

"The incident is a glaring instance of how the public sector coal companies have been risking the lives of workers in terms of violating the safety norms," Marandi said.

(Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)