Navy divers enter Meghalaya mine in search of 15 men
After the initial 2 days, we figured out that the water level wasn’t receding and we could not go beyond 30 feet... So, if Navy divers get details of the bottom of the pit and the number of rat holes, that will be very useful... SANTOSH KUMAR SINGH, assistant commandant, NDRF
GUWAHATI / KSAN, EAST JAINTIA HILLS: As dusk fell on Sunday, a team of Navy divers was still inside the approximately 350 feet-deep shaft of the flooded rat-hole coal mine in Meghalaya, where 15 miners are trapped since December 13.
Santosh Kumar Singh, assistant commandant of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), said if the divers managed to get to the bottom of the pit and discerned how many lateral ratholes there were, it would be a major breakthrough.
“After the initial two days, we figured out that the water level was not receding and we could not go beyond 30 feet of the 70 feet -deep water. So, if Navy divers get details of the bottom of the pit and the number of rat holes, that will be very useful for further operations,” he said.
The 18-member Navy team commenced its rescue operations at 1 pm Sunday.
Late on Sunday, Singh said that the water could be deeper than earlier ascertained by the NDRF. “Navy divers went up to around twice the depth our divers were managing (30 feet) and still they could not get to the bottom of the pit,” he said.
“The water could be 125 feet deep. Navy will put equipment in the pit tomorrow to ascertain the actual depth of the water. We used improvised methods to ascertain the water could be 70 feet or more,” Singh said, adding that process to pump out the water will begin Monday.
The remote mine is an hour and a half drive and then a halfhour hike from the district headquarters of the East Jaintia Hills district. Only SUVS can navigate the three streams and the steep uphill dirt road that the last, twokilometre stretch comprises.
A navy diver told HT that his team has come equipped with diving sets, remotely-operated vehicles, re-compression chambers and other essential rescue gear.
“In these conditions, we can dive up to 45 metres (146.7 feet) but it will be dangerous for us to get into the rat holes at the bottom, because sharp edges can damage diving suits and air tubes and endanger the diver,” he said.
As a first step, an NDRD rubber boat was lowered into the shaft to serve as a platform for the diving team. The rescue team from the Odisha Fire and Emergency Services couldn’t start pumping out the water.
According to Odisha fire service chief Sukanta Sethi, the pumps can’t be started before divers go in because the pumps could fill the pit with smoke. There were some logistical issues too.
Tapan Kumar Mohanty, station officer, Odisha fire services said they have requested a carriage from the district administration on Saturday to help lower their pump inside the pit about 21 feet above the water, since it is not submersible. An official has said it will be arranged soon.
Ace diver Jaswant Singh Gill said pumping out the water from the flooded mine is the foremost requirement.
Meanwhile, locals were reluctant to talk about coal mining. The senior district official said on condition of anonymity, that as much as 80 percent of the districts population is directly or indirectly connected to the activity, which was banned by the National Green Tribunal in 2014.