The Meghalaya government has called off the search and rescue operation at the illegal coal mine in East Jaintia Hills district, where a blast claimed 30 lives, officials said on Tuesday.
The blast had occurred at the illegal mine in the remote Thangsku area of Mynsngat village on February 5, they said. East Jaintia Hills Deputy Commissioner Manish Kumar told PTI that the operation formally ended around 5 pm on Monday after assessment teams concluded that there was no further possibility of locating survivors.
The rescue operation involved the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the district administration, police, Fire and Emergency Services, and local volunteers.
Heavy machinery was pressed into service to clear debris, while specialised teams attempted to access narrow and unstable mine shafts under hazardous conditions, officials said.
Six victims who sustained injuries are currently undergoing treatment in Silchar in Assam and state capital Shillong, they said.
Of the deceased, 26 persons have been identified, while four bodies remain unidentified, they added.
2 more die in Assam hospital; toll rises to 30
The death toll in the coal mine blast in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district has climbed to 30, with two more persons succumbing to injuries at a hospital here, an official said on Tuesday.
Both were residents of Katigorah in Assam’s Cachar district and were undergoing treatment at the Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH).
“Two persons injured in the coal mine blast died at the SMCH hospital on Monday night. They have been identified as Ramchandra Baishnab and Nimaruddin,” the health department official said.
Altogether, nine injured miners were admitted to the SMCH after the February 5 incident.
The blast had occurred at an illegally operated coal mine in the remote Thangsku area of Mynsngat village in adjoining Meghalaya.
The Meghalaya government has ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident to ascertain the circumstances leading to the blast and fix responsibility.
The Assam government had announced ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the families of each deceased from the state. At least eight labourers from the state, all from Cachar district, have so far died in the incident.