5 workers feared trapped in abandoned Meghalaya mine

SHILLONG/SILCHAR: At least five workers are feared trapped in a 500-feet-deep abandoned coal mine in the Umpleng area of Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district, police said on Monday.
The accident came to light when one Karimul Bari of Assam’s Cachar district reported to the Assam Police that one of his neighbours was among the miners feared trapped in the coal mine accident that took place on Sunday night.
A Meghalaya Police statement said, “Based on information received from SP (Cachar) about six mine workers being trapped in a coal mine in East Jaintia Hills on Sunday, the district police could identify the probable location of the incident at 6 am on Monday.”
The missing persons have been identified as Anwarul Haque Barbhuiya of Katigorah in Cachar district, Abdul Sukkur from Barthal near Badarpur in Karimganj district, Abdul Karim from Boko, Abdul Kalam from Barpeta and Shyamcharan Debbarma from Tripura. All are aged between 20 and 35 years, sources said.
The Meghalaya government has directed the deputy commissioner of East Jaintia Hills district, E Kharmlaki, to institute a magisterial inquiry into the mishap and file an FIR against whoever is involved. Additional deputy commissioner of East Jaintia Hills Malthus Sangma will head the inquiry.
“We received information about some miners being trapped in a coal mine from the Cachar Police. No one has informed us about people missing. However, we took serious note of the incident and directed the East Jaintia Hills police to verify it,” Kharmalki said.
Kharmalki added that the State Disaster and Relief Force has been rushed to the spot and rescue work started on Monday. However, it had to stopped due to inclement weather.
Quoting eyewitnesses, SP (East Jaintia Hills) JS Dhanoa said, “Due to a sudden dynamite explosion, five persons got trapped in the mine when water gushed in inundated the place in no time.”
The police have identified the manager of the mine, Nizam Ali, as the “main culprit who did nothing to rescue the trapped labourers.”
Meghalaya home minister Lahkmen Rymbui said the accident had occurred in an abandoned mine owned by K Chyrmang who has been detained for questioning. “Police are on a manhunt to nab Ali to get the details,” he added.
The latest mine tragedy is somewhat similar to the 2018 Ksan coal mining mishap in the East Jaintia Hills in which over 17 miners drowned.