- At least 18 labourers died in a dynamite blast at an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya.
- The explosion occurred in a rat-hole coal mine, a method banned since 2014.
- Rat-hole mining involves narrow tunnels and is highly hazardous and labour-intensive.
At least 18 labourers were killed on Thursday morning in a suspected dynamite explosion at an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district. According to officials, the illegal mine engaged in rat-hole coal mining, a practice banned more than a decade ago but still widely prevalent in the state.
The explosion occurred at Mynsyngat in the Thangsku area, under the jurisdiction of the Umpleng Police Outpost, where several labourers -- both local residents and migrant workers from neighbouring states -- were reportedly working inside narrow underground shafts when the blast took place.
Confirming the incident, East Jaintia Hills Superintendent of Police Vikash Kumar said rescue operations were suspended late on Thursday evening due to poor visibility, darkness, unstable underground conditions and the possibility of poisonous gases, including carbon monoxide and methane, remaining trapped inside the mine after the explosion.
By Thursday evening, a total of 18 bodies had been recovered from the site.
What Is Rat-Hole Mining
Rat-hole mining is a method of coal extraction that involves digging very small vertical pits, often no more than three to four feet wide. Once miners reach the coal seam, which in Meghalaya is typically thin and close to the surface, they dig horizontal tunnels to extract coal manually.
The tunnels, often barely large enough for one person, are commonly referred to as "rat-holes". Coal extracted from these shafts is dumped near the mine opening and later transported by road.
Workers enter the mines using basic hand-held tools, with no mechanisation or structural reinforcement. The method is labour-intensive and highly hazardous, but it has historically been the most common form of mining in Meghalaya because the thin coal seams make large-scale, open-cast or underground mechanised mining economically difficult.
The narrow size of the tunnels has often resulted in children being employed, as they are physically small enough to navigate the confined spaces. In a state with limited livelihood options, families have long depended on this work, and there have been repeated reports of minors posing as adults to secure employment in such mines.
Why Was Rat-Hole Mining Banned
The National Green Tribunal imposed a ban on rat-hole coal mining and other unscientific mining practices in Meghalaya in 2014, citing severe environmental damage, groundwater contamination and serious risks to human life. The tribunal also restricted the transportation of coal extracted through illegal means.
Despite the ban, the practice has continued in many parts of the state. Several fatal accidents have been reported over the years, often involving flooding or suffocation inside the narrow tunnels.
In December 2018, 15 miners were trapped inside a flooded rat-hole mine in East Jaintia Hills. Rescue operations lasted for more than two months, but only two bodies could be recovered. In another incident in 2021, five miners were trapped in a flooded mine; three bodies were found before rescue efforts were called off after a month.
Environmental damage linked to rat-hole mining includes acid mine drainage, contamination of rivers and farmland, and long-term degradation of land.
Mining remains a significant source of revenue in Meghalaya, and the ban has been politically and economically contentious. The state government has argued that there is no viable alternative mining method suited to the region's geology. A panel appointed by the Meghalaya High Court in 2022 found that rat-hole mining was continuing unabated in several areas despite the legal restrictions.
The Supreme Court later upheld the ban imposed by the tribunal, allowing coal mining only under scientific, regulated procedures with environmental safeguards in place.
