The death toll in the coal mine collapse at Lalmatia open cast coal mine of Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL) in Jharkhand, has gone up to 18.

As reported earlier, many coal miners along with many heavy machines and vehicles are feared trapped underground when earth around the coal mine collapsed on 29th December evening.

A team of experts from Central Mine Panning and Design Institutes Ltd, CMPDIL, has also reached the spot for investigation and analysis.