Meghalaya: First body of trapped miners recovered from flooded coal pit

SHILLONG: A body was recovered from Meghalaya's flooded coal pit in East Jaintia Hills district yesterday, where as many as five miners were believed to be trapped since May 30.

Reportedly, the district administration has claimed that the body was recovered from the bottom of the 152-meter-deep pit by divers of the Indian Navy and NDRF.

Though the body yet to be identified it is suspected to be one of the trapped miners. The navy a day earlier had detected two objects which they have suspected as the bodies of the miners trapped there.

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The rescue operation expected to resume again from today if the visibility underwater improves.

Jagpal Dhanoa, SP of East Jaintia Hills, stated that due to the sudden explosion of dynamite, 5 persons got trapped in the sudden rush of water into the mine. Within no time the mine was inundated.

Abdul Karim, Abdul Kalam, along with 2 more unidentified persons from Assam are missing. One from Tripura — Shyamcharan Debbarma — also got stuck in the calamity.

Nizam Ali, Sordar of the mine, reportedly threatened the survivors with dire consequences and chased them away from the mine.

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