SHILLONG: Families of the two miners from Ri Bhoi, who lost their lives in a landslide at an illegal coal mine in Assam’s Tinsukia district, have arrived at the site to bring their bodies home.
Senior state police official of Meghalaya confirmed on Sunday that John Nongrum from Jatah village and Phiniellin Umbah from Korhadem village have died in the mishap.
The incident, which occurred on Saturday afternoon, has left the residents of Jatah and Korhadem villages in mourning.
Ri Bhoi Superintendent of Police (SP) Jagpal Singh Dhanoa told the press that the police were informed about the incident around 11:30 am on Saturday by the families.
The information was promptly relayed to the Assam police and local authorities in Tinsukia.
ALSO READ Landslide in illegal coal mine in Assam’s Patkai Hills traps 3 miners, including 2 from Meghalaya
Reports from Assam indicate that the fatal incident took place at an illegal rat-hole mine located in the Patkai Hills, specifically at the Tikok West Mining site between Bargolai and Namdang under the Tikok colliery in Ledo.
The disaster claimed the lives of three miners including John and Phiniellin from Ri Bhoi, and Dawa Sherpa from Bhojpur, Nepal.
A fourth miner, who was stationed outside the mine to assist with coal transportation, escaped unharmed.
According to officials, the miners were engaged in extracting illegal coal when a sudden landslide trapped the three workers inside the mine.
Efforts are currently underway by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to retrieve their bodies.
The Ledo-Margherita region, about 571 km from Guwahati, is known for its rich coal deposits in the Patkai foothills.
However, the region’s illegal mining operations pose significant risks to workers and have detrimental effects on the local indigenous communities.
