Food, Civil Supplies and Public Distribution Minister Saryu Rai on Thursday inspected the site in Muri where a wall of a caustic pond used by Hindalco collapsed and caused panic among locals after authorities feared at least 10 people were trapped in the toxic waste.

On April 9, a portion of the pond’s wall, made of stone blocks and tied to iron mesh, caved in. About 10 outsourced workers were working at the base of the mound at that time, sources said. Hindalco used the caustic pond to dump industrial wastes from an aluminum factory.

After inspecting the area and speaking to locals on Thursday, Rai said that the mishap may have been caused by negligence on the part of Hindalco as well as the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board.

“Several craters have developed in the area probably due to unabated dumping of toxic wastes. The caustic pond, it seems, is not only risky for the people living in the area but also hazardous to the environment,” Rai said.

He added that he will put forth his concerns to the Chief Secretary of Jharkhand and ask him to constitute a multi-disciplinary committee for probing the incident.

“The mishap has occurred and we cannot do much about it now. However, we must ensure that a multi-disciplinary committee, including geologists, socio-economists and experts, must probe the matter,” said Rai.

Sources accompanying Rai to the site said that the villagers here were divided in two groups. One of the groups supported AJSU-party chief Sudesh Mahato and the other supported former JMM legislator Amit Kumar.