The suspected illegal coal mine in the East Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya exploded on Thursday injuring a single person and several labourers feared to be trapped, according to the police officials. The accident was in Thangsku region and raised the safety conditions at the site.
Superintendent of Police Vikash Kumar affirmed that the blast occurred earlier in the day, but the number of workers that were inside the mine at the moment is not clear. He reported that one of the injured persons was first taken to the nearby primary health centre and then he was referred to Shillong to undergo advanced medical care.
The rescue efforts would start in the nearest future, and the police requested the help of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). Kumar said that the SDRF team has been put on alert and is anticipated to arrive on-site soon, and that attempts are being undertaken to determine the situation at the site and locate any trapped workers.
Initial indications are that the explosion happened in the coal mining operations at the location which is suspected to be illegal. The police who were asked regarding the status of the mine confirmed that it seemed to be unauthorized. The cause of the explosion, however, has not been known yet and a thorough investigation has been commissioned to ascertain the events preceding the event.
Megalaya mining of coal has always been a controversial issue. The National Green Tribunal (NGT), in 2014, banned the mining of rat-hole coal and other unscientific methods of mining in the state citing gross damage to the environment and the high risks involved in the mining processes to the safety of miners. The tribunal also limited unlawful transporting of coal produced in such ways.
Rat-hole mining consists of trenching narrow horizontal tunnels usually no more than three to four feet high, thus very dangerous. Subsequently the ban by the NGT was supported by the Supreme Court who permitted coal mining under controlled, scientific practices with good conservation and safety standards.
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