In yet another coal mining mishap, five coal labourers are feared dead in a coal mine at a depth of around 500 feet at Umpleng, East Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya.
According to a statement from the police, four are from Assam and the fifth from Tripura. It further informed that the incident happened around 5 pm on Sunday after water gushed in from a nearby source like in the case of the incident at the flooded mine at Ksan in East Jaintia Hills where 15 miners died after water gushed in from the Lytein river, East Jaintia Hills, back in December 2018.
As per eyewitnesses, due to the sudden explosion of dynamite, five persons got trapped in the sudden rush of water into the mine and in no time, the mine was inundated, the statement included.
It further said the district police identified the location at 6 am on Monday based on the information from the SP, Silchar. Police said the delay was due to inclement weather, poor night light condition and non-availability of an eyewitness. Later, while the rescue and search operations were on, six witnesses came forward to narrate the incident.
Police said the main culprit, according to the witnesses, is the Sordar identified as Nisam Ali, who did nothing to rescue the trapped miners.
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