Explosion in illegal Meghalaya mine kills 18

Explosion in illegal Meghalaya mine kills 18

An explosion in an illegally operated rat-hole coal mine in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district killed 18 miners on Thursday, officials said.

This is one of the biggest mining-related tragedies since July 2012, when 15 miners died in a flooded mine in the State’s South Garo Hills district. Two years later, in 2014, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had banned the hazardous mining method.

Vikash Kumar, East Jaintia Hills district’s Superintendent of Police, said the police received information about an explosion at an illegal coal mine at Mynsyngat in the Thangsko area around 11 a.m. A team rushed to the spot and confirmed that an explosion, suspected to have been caused by dynamite, had trapped several persons at an unspecified depth.

“We mobilised rescue and disaster response operations and recovered 18 bodies from the site of the explosion. An injured person, initially rushed to a community health centre, was referred to a higher medical centre for further treatment,” he said.

CM vows action

Expressing condolences to the families of those killed, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said the government has ordered an inquiry. “Accountability will be fixed, and those responsible will face strict legal action,” he said. He also said that the government has announced an ex-gratia of ₹3 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased mine worker.

“We have started an investigation and have sought information from the people about the miscreants involved in this illegal act,” Mr. Kumar said, adding that the police were gathering information about the mine owner and the people who were running it.

The police registered a suo motu first information report (FIR) at the Khliehriat (district headquarters) police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, read with the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act and the Explosives Substances Act.

District officials said teams from the National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force, and Special Rescue Team have been engaged at the site to continue with the rescue and recovery efforts. Officials said they were trying to identify the victims, although locals said most of the deceased were from Assam.

Activists claim mine owners, backed by politicians and other influential people, continue to operate illegally despite the NGT’s blanket ban on the mining of coal and its transportation in April 2014, which was later upheld by the Supreme Court.

Several accidents

There have been several incidents of coal mine accidents before and after the ban, killing at least 50 workers to date. The last major incident was in December 2018, also in East Jaintia Hills district, where at least 15 miners were trapped in a flooded mine 370 feet below the surface.

Multiple agencies, including the Indian Navy, could retrieve only two bodies in the rescue operation that lasted months.

“Rat-hole mining, entailing digging holes about 4-5 feet in height, allowing an adult to squat and work, is risky. However, daily wages as high as ₹2,000 attract many people to take up the job,” Shillong-based anti-illegal mining activist Agnes Kharshiing said.

Earlier, the High Court of Meghalaya constituted the one-man Justice (retired) B.P. Katakey Committee to investigate, monitor, and recommend measures for environmental restoration following the ban on illegal coal mining in the State. The panel’s periodic reports have hardly made any difference, activists say.