Bhubaneswar: At least two persons were killed after a rock collapse at an unauthorised stone quarry in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district, officials said on Sunday.

The incident occurred on Saturday evening at a quarry near Gopalpur village, under the limits of the Motanga police station, when workers were engaged in drilling and stone exploration.

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The exact cause of the rock collapse is yet to be determined. Rescue operations were immediately launched, with teams from the local fire services, the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), and dog squads deployed at the site.

Dhenkanal Collector Ashish Ishwar Patil and Superintendent of Police Abhinav Sonkar reached the spot and supervised the rescue operation.

“As per available information, only two persons were present at the quarry, and both bodies have been recovered,” Patil told reporters. He said one of the deceased was from Balasore district, while the other belonged to either Keonjhar or Mayurbhanj district. The identities of the victims are yet to be formally established.

The collector revealed that the quarry’s blasting permission had expired in September, while its mining lease ended in December 2025. Despite this, blasting and mining activities allegedly continued.

“We will take legal action against the mine leaseholder as blasting and mining were carried out even after the lease period expired,” Patil said, adding that enforcement drives against illegal mining in the district would be intensified in the coming days.

Following the incident, the stone quarry was sealed. Local Tahsildar Manoj Majhi said police personnel would be deployed at the site to prevent unauthorised entry.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in the Odisha Assembly and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed grief over the deaths. In a post on X, he offered condolences to the bereaved families and called for a thorough investigation into the incident and workers’ safety conditions, while urging authorities to expedite rescue-related procedures.