Shillong: Rescue operations continue in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district, with several workers still feared trapped inside an illegal mine where an explosion occured Thursday, followed by a fire. The death toll, as of late Friday evening, had risen to 25.
Of the 25 deceased, 17 have been identified and their bodies handed over to next of kin.
The mine where the explosion occurred falls under the limits of Mynsngat village, around 30 km from the district headquarters at Khliehriat. Local residents and workers under treatment for injuries claimed the number of those trapped inside the illegal mine could be as high as 50. However, Meghalaya DGP Idashisha Nongrang told the media Friday that the exact number of workers trapped inside the mine is unclear at this time.
Residents of the nearest town ThePrint spoke to said a majority of those working in the illegal mine were daily wagers and travelled from Assam, West Bengal and even Nepal.
It is learnt that two SDRF (State Disaster Response Force) teams, three NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) teams, a special rescue team, along with Border Security Force (BSF), Army and Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel are on standby to airlift workers rescued from the site.
But rescue operations have been hampered by conditions inside the illegal mine. An NDRF personnel present at the site told ThePrint on condition of anonymity, “They [rescuers] are not familiar with this kind of soil and the walls of the mine are not stable. There are also toxic gases and it is difficult to perform the rescue operation even with the breathing gear.”
On its part, the state government has sent two ministers to the spot to meet officials and take stock of the rescue operation.
Soon after Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma promised strict action against those operating the illegal mine, police arrested two individuals identified as Forme Chyrmang and Shamehi War. Both were produced before a court and remanded to three days’ police custody.
A suo motu FIR was also registered at Khliehriat police station under sections 105, 118(2) and 3(5) of the BNS read with sections 21 and 21(1) of The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act and section 3 of the Explosive Substances Act.
Activist Agnes Kharshiing told ThePrint, “This is very unfortunate, the government could’ve stopped this from happening. This is a homicide.”
“After the NGT ban on rat hole mining in 2014, all of this should’ve stopped. But for years the government has been denying that there is no rat hole mining. It has taken up so many lives,” said Kharshiing, who wrote to the CBI director in January alleging the state police were covering up an explosion in an illegal mine in Thangsko which claimed one life.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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