The authorities shut coal extraction activities at Barapukuria coal mine in Dinajpur on Saturday as 52 of its employees have contracted COVID-19.
The employees include 50 Chinese nationals.They have been asked to remain in home isolation.
Around 300 Chinese and 400 Bangladeshis are working at the coal mine.
It was learnt that the authorities resumed the coal extraction on July 27 which was suspended for three months for the development work of the mine. On July 26, 143 workers have been tested where 16 found positive for COVID-19.
Later on July 28, 305 employees have been tested. Of the, 34 came positive.
Engineer Saiful Islam Sarkar, a manager of the mine, said that coal lifting work from the 1306 phase started 20 days ago. In the first seven days, the extraction work have been done primarily, later finally. In the meantime, some workers have contracted coronavirus which forced to shut the extraction work.
The production would resume after 10 days.
Around 40,000 metric tonnes of coal are in stock, which will be used to aid power generation, Saiful Islam added.
