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5 trapped in Meghalaya mine after explosion, supervisor threatened survivors
At least five labourers, suspected to be from Cachar district of Assam, are feared trapped in yet another accident in the infamous coal mines of Meghalaya’s East Jaiñtia Hills district, officials said
At least five labourers, suspected to be from Cachar district of Assam, are feared trapped in yet another accident in the infamous coal mines of Meghalaya’s East Jaiñtia Hills district, officials said.
“Personnel from police, fire and emergency services, NDRF, district disaster management authority and locals are engaged in the rescue operations. I am constantly monitoring the progress,” East Jaiñtia Hills deputy commissioner E Kharmalki told HT over the phone.
He told HT that upon receiving information from the SP, an alert was sounded and emergency measures were activated.
The miners are trapped about 500 feet below the surface. Water from recent rains would probably have percolated into the mine identified to be located at Sutnga interior under Umpleng Anti-Dacoity camp, subsequently flooding it. Sutnga is a little less than 100 kilometres from the state capital Shillong.
A press communiqué released Monday evening by the East Jaiñtia Hills Superintendent of Police Jagpal Singh Dhanoa stated that according to eyewitnesses, five people got trapped in the sudden rush of water into the mine due to the sudden explosion of dynamite.
“Within no time the mine was inundated. The main culprit as per the eyewitnesses is Sordar by name of Shri 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,” Dhanoa said.
He added that an FIR has been registered at Khliehriat Police Station under the MMDR Act, the Disaster Management Act and sections of the Indian Penal Code.
“The survivors are being looked after by police to ensure their security. Further, an investigation is on and no stone is being left unturned to arrest the Sordar of the mine,” the district police chief assured.
The missing persons have been identified as Shyamcharan Debbarma from Tripura, Abdul Karim from Boko, Abdul Kalam from Barpeta and two unidentified persons from Silchar.
The matter came to the fore after one Karimul Bari claimed in a tweet that a neighbour of his was amongst the labourers working in a coal mine in Meghalaya who got trapped. Bari accused the administration of “not taking any proper action” to recover the bodies for 2 days.
Speaking to HT, IGP (Eastern Range) MK Dkhar said that rescue efforts at the accident site have begun and that his colleague is in Khliehriat the district headquarters to monitor operations.
“The district administration has already requisitioned the resources and manpower from the line departments and activity has already commenced on the ground… let’s hope for the best,” Dkhar said.
IGP (Law and Order) Mukesh Kumar Singh said he was camping near the place of occurrence and monitoring the situation.
“Work is going on in full swing and we hope to get some results soon but we cannot say for certain how long these operations will last, we will continue to do our duty,” Singh HT.
Earlier, Superintendent of Cachar district in Assam, Nimbalkar Vaibhav Chandrakant, said, “We have shared the information with our neighbouring state’s Superintendent of Police from East Jaintia Hills.
“We have requested the East Jaintia Hills SP to update us on the matter. If any labourers from Assam are trapped, we will be informed immediately, this was assured from our neighbouring state SP.”
Kharmalki has ordered a magisterial inquiry by MS Sangma, executive magistrate of the district. He has been given 15 days from the day of receiving the order “to ascertain the facts and circumstances of the case leading to the mining incident, identify the owner of the miners responsible for illegal mining”, and also submit his findings and recommendations.
A top official at the state secretariat told HT that the alleged owner has been picked up but he tested positive for Covid-19 and hence kept in an isolation centre under watch. The alleged Sordar (manager of the mine) is absconding and police have issued a BOLO (Be on the lookout) for his arrest.
Such tragic mishaps, mostly man-made, are not new to this part of Meghalaya. On January 21, six labourers lost their lives when they plummeted 170 feet to their death at a coal mine in Sorkari Dienshanlalu village.
Apparently, the crane they were using to extract coal malfunctioned, sending the six men hurtling into a tunnel dug up for coal extraction, but there has been no closure to the case as yet. It is also not known yet if the coal mine in question was abandoned or legal. The owner has also not been officially identified.
On December 13 2018, 15 miners died when a “rat-hole” mine at Ksan village in the same district got flooded by water from the Lyteiñ river. In the wake of the accident, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) fined the state government ₹100 crore for allowing illegal coal mining.
