This story is from December 15, 2018

Meghalaya: Efforts on to rescue 13 miners stuck in illegal coal pit

Efforts are on in full force to rescue the 13 miners trapped inside the water-clogged coal pit at Ksan village in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district, but none have been located. There has been no trace of the miners since water gushed into the mine on Thursday afternoon
Meghalaya: Efforts on to rescue 13 miners stuck in illegal coal pit
Workers at the rescue site in Meghalaya on Friday
Key Highlights
  • Efforts are on to rescue the 13 miners trapped inside the water-clogged coal pit in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district.
  • There has been no trace of the miners since water gushed into the mine on Thursday afternoon, trapping them.
SHILLONG: Efforts are on in full force to rescue the 13 miners trapped inside the water-clogged coal pit at Ksan village in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district, but none have been located. There has been no trace of the miners since water gushed into the mine on Thursday afternoon, trapping them.
The State Disaster Response Force is being aided by National Disaster Response Force personnel in the operation, but rescue personnel said it is a challenging task to navigate through the flooded channels of the "unscientific, rat hole" mine.

Chief minister Conrad Sangma, admitting that illegal coal mining is taking place in his state, said that the need of the hour is the well-being of those trapped inside.
“The incident that took place, in which 13 miners have been trapped in some mines in East Jaintia Hills, is something that is really unfortunate. We are really concerned about the individuals and their lives. The NDRF, the district administration and the police are doing all they can to save the lives of the miners who are stuck there and we are all praying for them,” he said.
“At the same time, we are aware that illegal activities were going on and this is something that is not correct at all. I think appropriate action will be taken at the appropriate time against people who are involved in illegal mining. This is something that is not acceptable to us,” the CM asserted.
Emphasizing that it is more important to save the lives of the trapped individuals right now, Conrad said he is in constant touch with the DC and SP of East Jaintia Hills to oversee the rescue operation.

Significantly, following the brutal attack on social activists Agnes Kharshiing and Amita Sangma of the Civil Society Women’s Organisation (CSWO) on November 8, the CM had denied that there was any illegal coal mining in the state. The two activists had gone to East Jaintia Hills to document illegal coal mining and were waylaid by assailants who are believed to have been members of a coal mafia gang operating in the area. Nidamon Chullet, a senior National Peoples’ Party (NPP) leader of the area, has been named by one of the victims as the mastermind who led the attack.
The National Green Tribunal had imposed an interim ban on unscientific coal mining in 2014. However, there have been reports that illegal mining and transportation of coal is still being carried out in the state.
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