Khliehriat (Meghalaya), Feb 6 (PTI) Two persons, believed to be owners of illegal coal mines linked to the deadly blast in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district that has claimed 25 lives so far, were produced before a court here on Friday and remanded to three days of police custody, SP Vikash Kumar said.
The accused have been identified as Shamehi War (42) of Sutnga Pohwailong village and Forme Chyrmang (36) of Jalaphet Pyrdung village in the district, he said.
“Hunt is on for a third accused who has also been identified in connection with the case,” the East Jaintia Hills SP told PTI.
Meanwhile, Justice (retd) B P Katakey visited the Thangsku mining areas on Mynsngat village, 130 km from the state capital, and confirmed that illegal mining was being carried out on a large scale in the locality, officials said.
The death toll in the explosion in an illegal coal mine mounted to 25 on Friday following the recovery of seven more bodies, DGP I Nongrang said.
The explosion occurred on Thursday at the mine in the Thangsku area of Umsngat village, prompting the authorities to begin large-scale search and rescue operations involving multiple agencies. Eighteen bodies had been found on Thursday.
“So far, seven more bodies have been recovered, taking the total number of deaths to 25. Out of these, 12 bodies have been identified,” Nongrang told PTI. PTI JOP MNB
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.