SHILLONG: The distraught relatives of coal miners from Mawhati in Ri Bhoi, who died in a Tinsukia coal mine landslide on May 25, are set to pursue legal action as efforts to retrieve their bodies continue to be fruitless.
Families of miners, John Nongrum from Jatah village and Phiniellin Umbah from Korhadem village have reportedly reached out to social activist Agnes Kharshiing, who has pledged legal support for their cause.
“The relatives came to Shillong and met me today; we are ready to provide legal assistance to them,” affirmed Agnes to a Shillong-based news portal on Wednesday.
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Earlier, the grieving families of the deceased miners had gone to the disaster site in Tinsukia to bring their loved ones’ remains home but in vain.
The disaster had transpired at an illegal rat-hole mine within the Patkai Hills, specifically at the Tikok West Mining site between Bargolai and Namdang under the Tikok colliery in Ledo.
Ri Bhoi Superintendent of Police Jagpal Singh Dhanoa had disclosed that the police were notified of the incident on May 26 by the bereaved families, prompting swift communication with Assam police and local authorities in Tinsukia.
Tragically, the disaster claimed the lives of three miners, including John and Phiniellin from Ri Bhoi, and Dawa Sherpa from Bhojpur, Nepal, while a fourth miner, stationed outside the mine, managed to escape unscathed.
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According to reports, the miners were illicitly extracting coal when a sudden landslide trapped them within the mine.
The Ledo-Margherita region, renowned for its abundant coal deposits in the Patkai foothills, grapples with the perils of illegal mining operations, posing significant risks to workers and deleterious effects on indigenous communities.
