Meghalaya coal mine tragedy: Third body retrieved from the 'rat-hole'

SHILLONG: After over three weeks rescuers on Friday fished out another body from the 152-metre-deep mine in Meghalaya's East Jaintia district, an official said.

This is the third body to be recovered from the Umpleng rat-hole mine, which was flooded after a dynamite blast on May 30.

The third body was found by Indian Navy divers on Friday, while another was discovered at the bottom of the hole on Thursday, according to district deputy commissioner E Kharmalki.

According to the official, the miner's body was identified as Abdul Sukur, 28, of Pingorgool village in Assam's Karimganj district.

On June 16, the first body was discovered.

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A magistrate conducted an inquiry on the spot, and the bodies were moved to a mortuary in Khliehriat, the district headquarter town 20 kilometres from Umpleng.

The two other bodies have not been identified, the official said.

According to Kharmalki, relatives of the miners from Assam and Tripura have been notified to come and identify the recovered bodies through their respective police stations.

The rescue mission has been carried out by teams from the Indian Navy, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and state fire and emergency services.

Approximately 10.08 lakh litres of water were pumped out of the main shaft and 17.55 lakh litres from the second shaft during the dewatering process.

Six miners' coworkers narrowly escaped disaster because they were outside the coal mine when dynamite was used to break open coal seams. They were then taken to their houses by Meghalaya police.

Shining Langstang, the coal mine's owner, was detained and charged with violating a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order prohibiting unscientific coal mining and transportation.

According to a senior police officer, the 'Sordar' (mine manager) is on the run and a lookout notice has been issued because he was the one who imported migrant labourers from Assam and Tripura to work in the illegal mine.

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