At least 16 workers have lost their lives and several others are trapped after an explosion at an “illegal” coal mine in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district on Thursday, according to PTI. Police director-general I Nongrang said rescue teams had been deployed to carry out search operations, adding that the explosion had occurred in the Thangsk area earlier in the day.
“We have recovered 16 bodies so far. The exact number of workers present inside the mine at the time of the explosion is yet to be ascertained. It is feared that more people are trapped,” she was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
One of the injured victims was first taken to Sutnga Primary Health Center and later shifted to Shillong Hospital for advanced medical care, East Jaintia Hills Superintendent of Police Vikash Kumar said.
The explosion is believed to have occurred during coal mining at a site suspected of illegal operations.
Asked if the mine was operating illegally, Kumar said, “Yes, it seems so.”
He added that the exact cause of the explosion has not yet been determined and a probe will be launched.
In December last year, an explosion at an illegal coal mine in the same district reportedly claimed the lives of two workers, prompting the intervention of the Meghalaya Human Rights Commission and scrutiny by a high court-appointed monitoring committee.
Earlier this year, in January, another laborer died after falling into an illegal coal mine in Umthe village, also in East Jaiñtia Hills. Following the incident, the police sealed off the scene and launched an investigation to determine the circumstances leading to the death.
In 2014, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned rat hole coal mining and other unscientific mining practices in Meghalaya, citing environmental damage and serious safety concerns. The tribunal also curbed the illegal transport of coal mined by these methods.
Rat hole mining refers to the digging of narrow tunnels – usually about 3 to 4 feet high – through which workers enter to mine coal. These horizontal passages are commonly called “rat holes” because they are large enough for one person to crawl through.
