Overview

• The subsidence struck between 3 am and 4 am on August 18 in Sabri Basti, causing one home to collapse and producing deep ground fissures in about a dozen neighboring structures without injuring anyone.
• Bharat Coking Coal Limited officials and Baghmara MLA Shatrughan Mahto have moved displaced families to the Modidih Community Hall and pledged permanent rehabilitation in Tetulmari.
• Homeowner Kalyani Devi escaped with her family before the collapse but lost all their belongings under the rubble and is seeking immediate relief and compensation.
• Locals criticized BCCL and district authorities for neglecting repeated warnings and slow action despite a cavity-filling mitigation effort in 2006.
• The latest incident highlights the chronic hazard posed by underground coal fires and recurring subsidence in Dhanbad, where long-standing safety and governance gaps persist.