BHUBANESWAR: About 20 specially trained Odisha Fire Service personnel equipped with 15 high pressure fire pumps will assist in rescue operations in East Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya where 15 miners are trapped inside a rat hole mine since December 13. They will be flown in a special Indian Air force (IAF) plane from the City airport on Friday morning.
“A 20-member Odisha Fire Service team led by CFO Sukanta Sethi along with equipment including high-powered pumps scheduled and ready to leave for Meghalaya in a special aircraft tomorrow morning to assist the local authorities in rescuing the trapped coal miners,” Fire Service DG BK Sharma tweeted on Thursday.
Special Relief Commissioner, Odisha had approached the State Fire and Emergency Service to assist in carrying out the rescue operations in the flooded coal mine where the miners have been struggling for over 14 days. “The troop is now equipping itself at Odisha Fire and Disaster Response Academy (OFDRA),” Chief Fire Officer Sukanta Sethi said.
Sharma will flag off the troop at OFDRA in Baramunda at 7.30 am on Friday following which the rescue personnel will board the special flight at about 8 am.