At least 15 miners are trapped in a private coal pit in remote South
Garo Hills district of Meghalaya since July 6 and a rescue operation has
been launched by National Disaster and Rescue Force on July 12.
Over 30 miners had gone down to the 100 m pit
at Nengkhol village in Nongalbibra area and accidentally punctured the
wall of an abandoned mine full of highly acidic water on July 6.
As the water from the abandoned mine rushed into the pit, 15 miners managed to escape.
NDRF based in Guwahati arrived at the
spot late last night and launched the rescue mission on July 12.
Three persons — the mine owner, a foreman of a clan and a head labourer —
were arrested in connection with the incident and booked for causing
death due to negligence, the sources said.
South Garo Hills district administration has ordered a judicial enquiry into the incident, they added.
Mineral-rich Meghalaya does not have a mining policy and coal and other
minerals are being extracted by mine owners using the rat-hole method
without any mechanism to ensure the safety of miners.
Villages in the coal belt in the state are virtually standing on a network of underground trenches dug to mine coal.
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