- The workers were trapped after an explosion in a suspected illegal coal mine in Jaintia East Jaintia Hills
- The incident was reported from Thangsku area, police said
- The police have sought assistance from the State Disaster Response Force
Four labourers died and one was injured after an explosion trapped them deep inside a suspected illegal coal mine at a village in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district on Thursday, police said.
The incident was reported from the Thangsku area, Superintendent of Police Vikash Kumar said.
The police have sought assistance from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to carry out rescue operations at the site. "The SDRF team are yet to come," Kumar said.
The explosion is suspected to have occurred during coal mining activities at the site, which are believed to be illegal.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had imposed a ban on rat-hole coal mining and other unscientific mining practices in Meghalaya in 2014, citing environmental damage and safety risks, while also restricting illegal transportation of coal extracted through such methods.
Rat-hole mining involves digging of narrow tunnels, usually 3-4 feet high, for workers to enter and extract coal. The horizontal tunnels are often termed "rat-holes", as each just about fits one person.
The Supreme Court later upheld the ban and allowed mining only under scientific and regulated procedures with environmental safeguards.
Asked whether the mine was operating illegally, the police officer said, "Yes, it seems like that." He said the cause of the explosion is yet to be ascertained, and an inquiry will be conducted.
