Third body retrieved by Navy divers from the coal pit in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills

Guwahati, June 26: The Indian Navy divers on Friday evening had retrieved the third body from a coal mine in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district where at least five labourers were trapped since May 30.

The Navy divers had retrieved the first body from the 500-feet flooded rat-hole mine at Krem Ule near the Umpleng area in East Jaintia Hills district on June 16 and the second on June 24.

East Jaintia Hills district Deputy Commissioner Ethelbert Kharmalki said the third body of an unidentified person was retrieved from the coal mine on Friday and the body was sent to the civil hospital in district headquarters Khliehriat for post-mortem.

We have informed the relatives of the victims from Cachar, Barpeta and Kamrup districts in Assam and North Tripura district through their respective Superintendent of Police to identify the retrieved bodies,” Ethelbert Kharmalki said.