By IANS
Ranchi : At least 10 people were taken ill Wednesday after inhaling methane gas leaking from a colliery in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district, police said.
The gas leak was reported early morning from the Bathdih colliery of Bharat Coking Coal Ltd (BCCL) in Dhanbad, around 240 km from here.
The 10 people of Barari Basti area who fell ill have been admitted to hospital. Two of then are said to be in critical condition.
BCCL officials have rushed to the site to take stock of the situation. Rescue operations have also been launched to evacuate nearby areas.
"Gas leaks are often reported in this area. We have served several notices to the residents to vacate the area but they don't take our warnings seriously," a BCCL official said.
Last year 50 miners had died in a powerful blast following leakage of methane gas in another BCCL colliery.