16 labourers killed in 'illegal rat hole' coal mine blast in Meghalaya, several feared trapped

At least 16 workers died in an explosion inside a "rat hole" coal mine in Meghalaya--once again exposing the hilly state government's failure to stop the long problem of illegal and haphazard coal mining.

Police in Meghalaya said 16 bodies were recovered on Thursday morning from a coal mine at Thangsko village in East Jaintia Hills district, which had reported similar tragedies in the past too. A few more workers are feared still trapped inside the mine.

The workers died after fire and smoke engulfed the mine following an explosion inside the coal mine, police said. The incident came to light on Wednesday when an injured worker was rescued and was rushed to a hospital. Rescue workers, who were rushed to the mishap site, later recovered the bodies. Efforts are underway to identify the deceased.

Rat hole mine:

The mines are dug vertically inside interior hilly and forested villages and coal are extracted from horizontal shafts. The workers even crawl inside the shafts and thus the name "rat hole mine."

Similar tragic mishap had taken place inside coal mines several times in the past, including in East Jaintia Hills district, even after the coal mining in Meghalaya was banned by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2014. The state government had faced a lot of criticism when 13 workers were buried alive in a similar mishap in a coal mine in Ksan village in East Jaintia Hills district in 2018. Several similar incidents took place since then killing many workers, mainly hailing from neighbouring Assam.

Despite frequent mishaps, the National People's Party-led government in the state, however, moved the Supreme Court challenging the NGT ban on coal mine. The government including CM Conrad K. Sangma said complete ban on mining had severely impacted livelihoods as many were depended on coal mining. In 2019, the SC revoked the NGT order and asked the government to come up with an action plan for scientific mining. The NPP government in January last year granted permission to three firms for scientific coal mine. The legal mining began in March last year. But the state government failed to stop illegal and unscientific coal mines.

Condoling the death of the miners, CM Conrad K. Sangma on Thursday evening posted on X, "The government of Meghalaya has ordered a comprehensive inquiry into the 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."

Control over land:

As the state is protected under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, communities enjoy the rights over their land and the minerals beneath. The little control of the government over the land has kept the illegal coal mining going.