Coal collapses at Indian mine kills seven AN official says at least seven villagers were killed and five others injured when a heap of coal collapsed on them at a coal mine in eastern India. Dikken Mehra, a spokesman for state-owned Mahanadi Coalfield Ltd, says the villagers trespassed into the mine on Saturday to steal coal in order to sell it, a common occurrence at coal mines in India. Mehra says that about half a dozen villagers are feared to be trapped in the debris and that rescue work is continuing. The coal mine is about 650 kilometres west of Bhubaneshwar, the capital of Orissa state.