Meghalaya, May 31: Six persons from Assam are trapped in a coal mine in East Jaintia Hills District in Meghalaya.
Meghalaya police took to Twitter to inform about the incident. The tweet added that the mine has been identified at Sutunga interior, under Umplemg AD camp, and search operations are underway.
Information has emanated from SP Silchar that 6 persons from Assam are trapped in a coal mine in EJ Hills .
The mine has been identified at Sutunga interior, under umplemg AD camp and search operations are on .
SP @ejhpolice and IG (L&O) are at the suspected PO .
— Meghalaya Police (@MeghalayaPolice) May 31, 2021
Noted sir. We're coordinating with SP, @ejhpolice who is already enquiring into the matter.
— Cachar Police (@cacharpolice) May 31, 2021
According to Meghalaya police, the Superintendent of East Jaintia Hills and IG (L&O) are at the suspected PO.
Cachar SP Vaibhav C Nimbalkar said they are yet to receive any conclusive details on the accident that they are depending on the Meghalaya police and working along with them to identify the reports of a trapped coal mine miners being from Assam.
“We can only comment on that after Meghalaya Police verifies the reports. We are dependent on them, so far no conclusive details,” said the SP.
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However, according to a report, “the police in southern Assam’s Cachar district was on Monday tipped off by one Karimul Bari, who said one of his neighbours died in the coal mine accident in Meghalaya two days ago. The bodies of five-seven labourers were buried 500 feet down the mine shaft, he added.”
Rathole mining was banned as early as 2014 by the National Green Tribunal, but mining continues unabated in the state.
In 2018, at least 17 miners, mostly from Assam, were killed. Similarly, in January this year, six workers in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district were killed in a crane accident while working at an abandoned coal mine site.
