Two brothers from Nepal were among the 25 labourers have lost their lives in the tragic explosion at an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district, reports said on Friday.
As per reports, the two deceased brothers have been identified as Purna Bahadur Khapangi Magar (27) and Surendra Khapangi Magar (24), residents of Salghari Bhanjyang in Ward no. one of Barahapokhari Rural Municipality in Nepal’s Khotang district, the officials said.
The two young men died on the spot in the blast that occurred at the illegal coal mine in the Thangsku area on East Jaintia Hills.
Reports also claim that four other injured labourers belong to the neighboring country.
They have been identified as Net Bahadur Khapangi Magar (35), Bam Bahadur Khapangi Magar (45) and Karna Bahadur Khapangi Magar (40), and Lalit Bahadur Magar of Udaypur district.
Authorities said that out of the Nepali nationals working at the mine, only Tatyasri Magar from Bharalapokhari escaped unharmed. He later contacted the families of the victims by phone to inform them of the tragedy.
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On the other hand, as per sources, six deceased in the coal mine incident hail from Assam’s Cachar district. The victims had travelled from Cachar to Meghalaya in search of livelihood.
Meanwhile, rescue operations are still underway in the blast site with multiple agencies working in close coordination.
Officials have informed that the Army and the Air Force remain on standby as the district administration and the State Disaster Management Authority (SDRF) continue to monitor the situation closely.
