SCCL worker loses fingers in blast accident at KTK-5 underground mine in Bhupalpally

An SCCL shot-firer lost the fingers of his left hand after an explosive detonated during inspection at the KTK-5 Incline underground mine in Bhupalpally. The worker was shifted to Hyderabad for treatment, while Singareni officials ordered a high-level inquiry.

Bhupalpally: An SCCL worker suffered bleeding injuries in an accident at Kakatiya Khani-5 incline underground mine in Bhupalpally mandal in the district on Monday.

A shot-firer, Sriramulu Praveen lost the fingers of his left hand when an explosive used for blasting operations in the mine exploded in his hand while he was inspecting it. He was first rushed to Singareni Area Hospital and was shifted to Hyderabad for better treatment.

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His condition is said to be stable. The incident occurred while preparations were being made for blasting to extract coal at the 13th level inside the mine in the first shift. Meanwhile, Singareni workers have expressed outrage over the incident.

They alleged that the management is playing with workers’ lives by using substandard material and equipment in the mines. The workers have demanded that the mine manager, Ramesh, be held accountable for the incident.

The Singareni management and safety department officials have initiated a high-level inquiry into the accident and potential safety lapses.

This incident raised questions over the implementation of safety standards and the handling of explosives in the SCCL mines.

It might be recalled that in January, 2026, a fire broke out in KTK-5 incline mine’s lamp room following an electric short-circuit. As many 1,500 lamps belonging to the mine workers were destroyed in the blaze causing a loss of around Rs 50 lakh.

In another incident that took place in September, 2025, toxic fumes were released after a fire broke out during welding work at the second level of the KTK 5 Incline. Two workers fell ill as a result of the incident.