Meghalaya mine blast: Two brothers from Nepal among the dead

Two brothers from Nepal were among the 18 labourers killed in the explosion at an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district, officials said on February 6.

According to police, the deceased brothers have been identified as Purna Bahadur Khapangi Magar (27) and Surendra Khapangi Magar (24), residents of Salyan District in Nepal’s Karnali province. Both died on the spot in the blast that occurred at the illegal coal mine in the Thangsku area of Umsngat village on Thursday.

Officials said three other workers from the same village in Nepal were injured in the explosion. They were identified as Net Bahadur Khapangi Magar (35), Bam Bahadur Khapangi Magar (45) and Karna Bahadur Khapangi Magar (40). The condition of Net Bahadur and Bam Bahadur was reported to be critical.

Another Nepali worker, Lalit Bahadur Magar of Udaypur district, also sustained injuries in the incident, police said.

Authorities stated that of the seven Nepali nationals who were employed at the mine, only Tatyasri Magar of Bharalapokhari managed to escape unhurt. He later informed the families of the victims over the phone.

Relatives of the deceased said the group had travelled to Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district in December last year to work in coal mines.

Meanwhile, the identification process of the remaining deceased is underway. Two injured workers from Assam are undergoing treatment at a hospital in Shillong and have been identified as Deb Malsakar (25) and Jamil Ahmed (36), officials said.

Search and rescue operations are continuing at the site, while the district administration is investigating the incident and examining the circumstances that led to the blast at the illegal mine.