Odisha’s elite firefighters struggle to reach miners

BHUBANESHWAR: Dressed in canary-yellow jerseys and orange track-pants that can be spotted from a mile away, the Odisha Fire Service has become a recognisable presence at sites of natural disasters India since 2014. Their stellar show in Andhra during Cyclone Hudhud in that year and in the Kerala flash floods in August 2018 has earned the OFS praise. But success has proved elusive in its latest mission — rescuing the miners in Meghalaya.

While all states have their own firefighters, it is Odisha’s that get frequent calls during natural disasters.

A lack of familiarity with the terrain of Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills, where the Ksan mine is located, and the numerous shafts branching off from the 370-ft-deep main shaft, where the miners are believed to be trapped, has made their job that much harder. Sukanta Sethy, leader of the 20-member OFS team now in the state, said they were engaged in dewatering the branch shafts to ease pressure inside the main chamber. “The job is very tough. We have never come across such a crisis. Though we keep dewatering the surrounding shafts using high-power pumps, the narrow pits keep getting filled with more water,” Sethy said to TOI from Ksan.