15 trapped in flooded illegal mine in India
Government under fire over its rescue efforts
NEW DELHI— Indian rescue workers are struggling to save15 workers who have been trapped for two weeks in an illegal coal mine, their chances of survival growing increasingly slim, and the government has come under fire for failing to provide sophisticated equipment for the operation.
The miners, in the northeastern state of Meghalaya, became trapped on Dec. 13 when the mine was flooded by a nearby river, officials said. Illegal mines — called “rat holes” by activists and media because of their narrow tunnels — are prevalent throughout the state and often connected to local politicians, evading laws and regulations. The government has been criticized for not providing the rescue operation with powerful pumps to extract water from the mine, which officials say is 91metres deep and filled with at least 21 metres of water. Divers on the scene are trained to dive at a maximum of 12 metres, according to Santosh Kumar Singh of the National Disaster Response Force, heading a team of officers at the site.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also criticized for visiting the neighbouring state of Assam on Christmas Day and not mentioning the rescue operation during a photo opportunity or paying a visit to the nearby site. Rescue workers have given up trying to pump water out of the mine, and local officials say the chances of retrieving any living miners are falling after two weeks trapped without food or clean drinking water.
“The state as well as the central government have failed to provide high-power pumps and other equipment to fast-track the process of sucking water out of the mine,” said Vincent H. Pala, a federal lawmaker from the area. Illegal mining is a local livelihood in Meghalaya, with miners, many of them children, earning nearly $12 a day, more than many other professions in India.
“This is nothing but the exploitation of poor labourers, putting their lives in danger,” said Agnes Kharshiing, a local activist critical of the industry who was attacked last month by a mafia attached to illegal mines, injuring her head and leg.