Some of the miners returned to work yesterday, after the authorities filed a case over the incident.
Chinese contractor CMC-XMC consortium is responsible for coal production and development of the mine.
Rabiul Islam, president of the Miners Union at Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Limited (BCMCL), said around 1,100 local miners became unemployed after March 26, 2020, due the pandemic.
There were only 300 Chinese miners at the mine, who continued production in small volumes. The nearby Barapukuria Coal Fired 525MW Power Plant used the produced coal to generate electricity until September, he added.
In September, the authorities began to let the local miners inside the mine if they tested negative for coronavirus.