At least 18 bodies have been recovered after an explosion ripped through an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills, as rescue teams continued to comb the remote site on Thursday amid mounting questions about the persistence of banned mining practices in the state.
Police said the blast happened inside an unauthorised mine in the Mynsngat–Thangskai area, under the jurisdiction of Umpleng police outpost. Vikash Kumar, superintendent of police for East Jaintia Hills, said officers rushed to the location after receiving information early in the morning that several workers were trapped underground.
“During the course of the rescue operation, a total of 18 dead bodies have been recovered from the site of the explosion,” Kumar said in a statement. One injured labourer was rescued and taken to a local community health centre before being referred to a higher medical facility.
Teams from the National Disaster Response Force, the State Disaster Response Force, and a special rescue unit have been deployed with rescue operations continuing late into the night.
Police have registered an FIR at Khliehriat police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, and the Explosives Substances Act. Kumar appealed to the public to share information about those involved in the illegal operation, promising confidentiality and a reward.
{{/usCountry}}Police have registered an FIR at Khliehriat police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, and the Explosives Substances Act. Kumar appealed to the public to share information about those involved in the illegal operation, promising confidentiality and a reward.
{{/usCountry}}The deaths have once again drawn attention to rat-hole mining, a hazardous method that involves digging narrow horizontal tunnels, usually three-four feet high, to enter and extract coal. The practice, common in parts of Meghalaya, has been officially banned for more than a decade.
Condolences poured in from political leaders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “pained by the mishap” and announced ex gratia compensation of ₹2 lakh for the families of each deceased worker and ₹50,000 for the injured. Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma said the state government had ordered a comprehensive inquiry and promised strict action against those responsible.
Several incidents that led to deaths of workers in these mines have taken place in Meghalaya over the years despite rulings by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Supreme Court banning mining.
In 2019, Justice BP Katakey (Retd), who headed a committee by NGT on the issue, had submitted several recommendations regulating rat-hole coal mining in Meghalaya. The recommendations formed the basis of directions on the issue by SC in July 2019.
One of the top court directions was allowing sale of already extracted coal prior to a prohibition on rat-hole mining in Meghalaya by NGT in 2014.
This direction was exploited as a loophole to extract fresh coal and pas it off as old stock.
In 2022, the Meghalaya high court again asked a panel led by Justice Katakey to review compliance.
In his preliminary findings, the former judge reported widespread violations of tribunal and court orders.