13 miners trapped inside flooded Meghalaya's "Rat Hole" mine feared dead

On Thursday, some miners got trapped inside a rat hole as water from nearby Lytein river gushed inside the mine. The miners went in by a 15 feet by 15 feet vertical shaft which is about 370 feet deep.

FILE PHOTO: AFP / Roberto Schmidt (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP)

New Delhi: Thirteen miners still remain trapped in a flooded 370 feet-deep rat-hole (illegal mine) in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia hills district even after two days of rescue efforts. The efforts to pump out the water have been continuing since Thursday but they have failed to yield any result so far. The thirteen trapped people are also feared dead, as officials again said on Friday that the chances of their survival were bleak. On Thursday, some miners got trapped inside a rat hole as water from nearby Lytein river gushed inside the mine. The miners went in by a 15 feet by 15 feet vertical shaft which is about 370 feet deep.  At the bottom of the mine, at least four to five horizontal holes are dug from which coal chips are taken out, local people said. After the incident came to light, a pump was installed to bring out the water. Two NDRF reams of 6 personnel reached on Friday morning while 12 SDR personnel were already present at the site. The water level which is about 70 feet according to the NDRF, has not gone down and two more pumps were put to service.  NDRF divers will also make an attempt to reach the trapped miners. The exact numbers of the miners trapped inside is not clear yet. As per some villagers, 5 miners came out after it was flooded but they could not be traced yet. The National Green Tribunal has banned unscientific and unsafe rat-hole coal mining in Meghalaya in 2014. Police have registered a case against mine operator James Sukhlain of Lumthari village, for running the mine illegally and at present he is absconding. Terming the accident "unfortunate", Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said the NDRF, the SDRF and the state police are doing their best to save the lives of the miners. Admitting that the illegal mining continues despite the NGT ban, the chief minister said, "Appropriate actions will be taken against people who are involved in illegal mining." (inputs from agencies)