GUWAHATI: The death toll in Thursday’s dynamite blast at an illegal rat-hole coal mine in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district rose to 25 on Friday.
The police arrested two persons, the alleged owners of the mine, in connection with the incident.
After 18 bodies were retrieved on Thursday, four more bodies were recovered from the site on Friday.
Superintendent of Police Vikash Kumar told TNIE that the victims were from Meghalaya, Assam and Nepal. He said nine injured persons were undergoing treatment.
“The injured are not in a position to give statements, and therefore, we haven’t been able to ascertain how many people were inside the mine at the time of the explosion,” the SP said.
The search and rescue operation was suspended with the fall of darkness. The resume depends on the review by officials on Saturday morning.
At the instruction of Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, ministers Lahkmen Rymbui and Wailadmiki Shylla visited the site of the incident on Friday. “We have instructed the police to take full action against those responsible for the incident,” Sangma stated, warning people against indulging in any illegal coal mining activities.
The state government has ordered a comprehensive inquiry into the incident, with Sangma stating that accountability will be fixed. “There will be no compromise when it comes to safety,” he said.
Thma U Rangli-Juki, a local organisation, condemned the state government for its long-standing role in enabling illegal coal mining in the state, in blatant disregard of constitutional mandates, statutory laws, and judicial directives.
The organisation alleged that for decades, a culture of impunity prevailed, openly defying orders of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and other courts, resulting in a serious breakdown of law and governance in districts where rampant coal mining continues.
Meghalaya has a history of coal mine accidents.
In 2018, at least 15 miners got trapped 370 feet inside an illegal coal mine, and despite over two-month-long efforts by multiple agencies, including the Indian Navy, the bodies of only two victims could be retrieved.
High daily wages, which could go up to Rs 2,000, draw a lot of people, especially from Assam, to the Meghalaya coal mines.
The NGT had in 2014 imposed a ban on rat-hole mining of coal and its transportation in Meghalaya, concerned over rampant, unregulated and unsafe mining practices. Despite the ban, the illegal activities continue.
