New Delhi - At least seven workers involved in sand mining near a river in India's northern Uttar Pradesh state were killed when the river bank caved in on Saturday, a news report said. The incident occurred in a village in the Bijnor district, 350 kilometres north-west of the state capital of Lucknow, where a group of workers were mining along the Ratnam river, the IANS news agency reported.
Police were able to rescue three workers, district police chief Raj Kumar told IANS. The bodies of the workers were recovered from the river bank on Saturday evening.
The police launched an investigation into the tragedy. "We have initiated an inquiry to know whether the mining along the river was sanctioned by the authorities or it was illegal," said Kumar.
