Shillong: The death toll in the coal mine incident that occurred in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district has risen to 25, after seven more bodies were recovered on Friday. This was confirmed by Meghalaya Director General of Police (DGP) I Nongrang.
Rescue operations are still underway in the blast site with multiple agencies working in close coordination.
DGP Nongrang said, “So far, seven additional bodies have been recovered today, taking the total number of deaths to 25. Out of these, 12 bodies have been identified.”
Search operations are continuing at the site as teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), special rescue team and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were pressed into service. Medical teams and ambulances have also been deployed, officials said.
“The search operation is still underway, and all efforts are being made to find out any remaining victims and complete the identification process at the earliest,” the DGP said.
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On the other hand, officials also informed that the Army and the Air Force remain on standby as the district administration and the State Disaster Management Authority continue to monitor the situation closely.
A dynamite explosion occurred on Thursday at the mine in the Thangsku area of East Jaintia Hills, prompting the authorities to begin large-scale search and rescue operations involving multiple agencies.
Meanwhile, the Meghalaya Police arrested two mine owners in connection with the illegal rat-hole coal mine. The two accused were produced before a court in connection with the deadly explosion at the coal mine in the Mynsyngat-Thangsko area of the district, as intensive search and rescue operations continued on Friday.
