At least 16 laborers were killed, and several others are feared trapped after an explosion at a suspected illegal coal mine in the Thangsku area of Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district on Thursday. The Director General of Police reported that the rescue teams have been deployed to carry out search operations.
“We have recovered 16 bodies so far. The exact number of laborers present inside the mine at the time of the explosion is yet to be ascertained. More people are feared trapped,” she said while talking to news agency PTI.
As reported by The Hindu, as of the evening of 5 February, district officials confirmed that 16 bodies had been recovered. The mine is believed to be operating illegally, and the investigation is underway.
As per the reports of the Indian Express, the explosion happened in a rat hole mine, and the bodies recovered so far were of workers who rescued the tunnels but later died due to injuries or breathing complications.
“The bodies that have been recovered so far are of workers who had come out of the tunnels themselves but then died, either from injuries or breathing issues—that will be ascertained through postmortems,” Superintendent of Police Vikash Kumar said, as reported by the Quint.
Expressing grief over the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased and ₹50,000 each for the injured.
“Pained by the mishap in East Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest.
An ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh from the PMNRF will be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured will be given ₹50,000,” the Prime Minister posted on X.
“Deeply saddened by the tragic deaths of many laborers in the coal mine blast in Meghalaya. I extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the speedy recovery of those injured,” Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi said.
“The news of the death of workers in the coal mine explosion in Meghalaya is extremely tragic. A thorough investigation into the causes should be conducted, and appropriate financial assistance should be provided to the bereaved families for their livelihood,” Samajwadi President Akhilesh Yadav said.
