Five miners trapped in Meghalaya’s rat hole mine; rescue op under way

Despite complete ban of National Green Tribunal on unscientific rat hole mining of coal in Meghalaya, at least five workers are feared trapped in a 500-feet-deep abandoned coal mine in the Umpleng area of East Jaintia Hills district.

The accident came to light when one Karimul Bari of Assam’s Cachar district reported to the Assam Police that one of his neighbours was among the miners feared trapped in the coal mine.

THE INCIDENT took place when water gushed in and inundated the mine after a dynamite explosion.

Rescue operations were under way on Tuesday to trace at least five migrant workers from Assam and Tripura who were trapped inside a rat hole coal mine, officials said. The incident took place when water gushed in and inundated the mine after a dynamite explosion.

The Meghalaya government has directed the deputy commissioner of East Jaintia Hills, E

Kharmlaki, to institute a magisterial inquiry into the mishap and file an FIR against whoever is involved. Police have already registered a case under IPC sections and the Mines and Mineral (Deve-lopment and Regulation) Act and Disaster Management Act.

Jagpal Singh Dhanoa, SP of the district, said, “The main culprit, according to the eyewitnesses, is one ‘sardar’ Nizam Ali, who did nothing to rescue the trapped labourers. Rather Ali threatened the survivors with dire consequences and chased them away from the mining site.”

He told reporters that it appears that the mine was operating illegally and search operation is on for the five trapped labourers. “There are 6-7 survivors. According to them, at least five workers got trapped inside. It has been raining incessantly for the last two days. Therefore, pumping water out of the mine to rescue the workers is proving to be difficult. Police have been trying hard to arrest the sardar of the mine,” he added.