According to police, an explosion at a suspected illegal coal mine in a village in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district on Thursday resulted in one person being injured and several workers feared trapped.
Superintendent of Police Vikash Kumar mentioned that the event occurred in the Thangsku region.
"Kumar informed PTI that while our team has verified the incident occurred this morning, the exact number of individuals present remains unconfirmed.
According to a PTI report, Kumar mentioned that one individual was injured and initially brought to a primary health center before being transferred to Shillong, the state capital, for further medical care.
The police have requested help from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to conduct rescue efforts at the location. "The SDRF team has not arrived yet," Kumar stated.
Further details about the blast
The blast is thought to have happened amid coal mining operations at the location, which is suspected of functioning unlawfully.
When questioned regarding the mine's legality, the police officer responded, 'Yes, it appears to be.'.”
He mentioned that the precise reason for the explosion has not been identified yet, and an investigation will be carried out.
In 2014, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) prohibited rat-hole coal mining and other unscientific mining methods in Meghalaya due to environmental harm and significant safety issues.
The tribunal also limited the unlawful transport of coal obtained through these methods.
Rat-hole mining is a process where narrow tunnels, typically 3 to 4 feet in height, are excavated for workers to access and extract coal. These horizontal passages are often called 'rat-holes' because they are just big enough to accommodate a single person.
The Supreme Court subsequently confirmed the prohibition, permitting coal mining solely through scientific and controlled methods with environmental protections implemented.