Odisha fire service personnel drained more water out of an old shaft adjoining the coal mine in Meghalaya where 15 miners have been trapped since December 13. They reduced the water level to a little more than 16 inches.
The old shaft and the main one where the miners have been trapped are interconnected underneath, officials said.
A renewed search and rescue operation started on December 30. After Navy divers conducted an initial survey with remote-controlled detection devices, the fire service personnel started draining water out of the adjoining abandoned shaft on Tuesday.
“The fire service personnel brought down the water level by 16.4 inches between 10.30 a.m. and 5.10 p.m. Coal India Limited is preparing to put a 100-HP submersible pump that can discharge a higher volume of water. Navy divers can work after the water in the main shaft goes down,” a spokesperson for the East Jaintia Hills district administration said on Wednesday.