M’laya mine blast: Death toll rises to 25, two mine owners arrested

The death toll in one of Meghalaya’s deadliest illegal coal mining disasters rose to 25, with nine others injured, officials said on Friday.
The tragic incident occurred on Thursday morning in Mynsngat Thangkso area under East Jaintia Hills district, following a dynamite explosion inside the illegal rat-hole coal mine.
District police chief of East Jaintia Hills, Vikash Kumar, said two persons – Shamehi War (42) and Forme Chyrmang (36) – were arrested in connection with the mining tragedy. He said the hunt is on to arrest other persons involved in the explosion and illegal mining activity.
A suo motu FIR has been registered at Khliehriat Police Station under Section 105/118(2)/3(5) Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 21/21(1) of Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, and Section 3 of the Explosives Substances Act and investigation in on, he said. “Four more bodies were retrieved from the mine by the search and rescue team. One person succumbed to his injuries at NEIGRIHMS hospital in Shillong and two more deaths were reported by the villagers and the bodies sent to the hospital for further formalities, so the death toll is now 25,” Kumar said.
Eyewitnesses say there are more people trapped inside the coal mine, even as six families of the coal miners informed the district authorities that their loved ones are trapped inside the rat-hole mine.
Some of these victims are reportedly to be migrant coal miners from neighbouring state of Assam and citizens of Nepal.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) which is leading the search and rescue operation with personnel of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Special Rescue Team (SRT) have not been able to get inside one of the mines due to landslides.
“Going by the account of the family members of the miners we will continue with the search and rescue operation.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the mining tragedy, the division bench of the Meghalaya High Court comprising Justices W. Diengdoh and H.S. Thangkhiew on Thursday directed the immediate arrest of coal mine owners and operators.
The court also ordered the district magistrate and the district police chief of East Jaintia Hills to appear before the court on February 9 after taking action against those involved in the illegal mining operations.
“This Court this (Thursday) evening itself has come to learn from various electronic media reports that there has been a mining tragedy again in Thangsko, East Jaintia Hills, wherein it is reported that there has been an explosion in three illegal coal mines resulting in loss of life and injuries to several persons,” the bench observed. Expressing concern, the court said it was “not understood as to how illegal coal mining is continuing in this area inspite of the reported loss of life of one person in an incident that occurred on 14-01-2026.”
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said the state government has ordered a “comprehensive inquiry” into the tragic coal mine incident. “Accountability will be fixed, and those responsible will face strict legal action. There will be no compromise when it comes to the safety of lives,” Sangma assured.
Incidentally, Mynsngat Thangkso is the same area where two miners had died in a similar illegal coal mine. on December 23, 2025.
One of the miners reportedly died on December 23 and the other miner named Ashok Tamang died at the Shillong Civil hospital on January 1. The National Green Tribunal had in April 2014 banned the hazardous rat-hole coal mining in Meghalaya due to its illegal, unscientific nature and harm to the environment and have caused the loss of lives of many miners.
Meanwhile, two state cabinet ministers – Wailadmiki Shylla and Lahkmen Rymbui – visited the illegal coal mining site and took stock of the rescue, relief and law and order situation. The ministers were accompanied by the Inspector General of Police (Law & Order), Davies Marak and senior Mining and Geology officials.