Round 18 labourers are feared trapped after water entered a “rat gap” mine in Assam at this time. The 300-foot deep coal mine is positioned in Umrangso, a distant industrial city in Dima Hasao district.
Water has reached about 100 toes of the unlawful quarry, sources mentioned. Police and rescue groups have reached the spot and utilizing two motor pumps to pump out the water.
Groups of the State Catastrophe Response Drive (SDRF) and Nationwide Catastrophe Response Drive (NDRF) have left for the world that’s near the Meghalaya border.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has mentioned the state has requested the Military’s help within the ongoing rescue operation.
We now have requested the Military’s help within the ongoing rescue operation. The State Catastrophe Response Drive (SDRF) and the Nationwide Catastrophe Response Drive (NDRF) are additionally on their technique to the incident website to help within the efforts. https://t.co/35ET3f80jr
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) January 6, 2025
“Rat gap” mining is a hazardous method the place slim tunnels are manually dug by staff. These tunnels result in deep pits from which coal is mined. In addition they hurt the surroundings as a result of the acidic water and heavy metals discharged from the mines are poisonous to water sources used for agriculture and human consumption.
In 2018, 15 miners had been trapped in an unlawful coal mine within the East Jaintia Hills district in Meghalaya after water from a close-by river gushed into it. Solely two our bodies had been the Nationwide Catastrophe Response Drive had seen, the then commandant, SK Sastri, had mentioned.
In 2019, Meghalaya was fined Rs 100 crore by the Nationwide Inexperienced Tribunal (NGT) for failing to curb unlawful coal mining within the state. The NGT had discovered that a lot of the 24,000 mines within the state had been unlawful.