Meghalaya mining tragedy: No change in water level even after using high-pressure pumps

Even as high pressure pumps were deployed to drain out water from the inundated illegal coal mine in East Jaintia Hills for almost three hours on Monday afternoon there is no change in the water level.

More than a fortnight has passed since 15 miners get trapped inside an illegal coal mine here rescuers are struggling hard to pump out water from the inundated mine.

"The Indian Navy Divers along with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel went down inside the main shaft at 4.30 pm to check the water level under the main shaft and reported that the water level has not changed," an Odisha Fire Service official said.

The Odisha Fire services have stopped pumping the water from the nearby old shaft located about 500 meters from the main shaft.

"After three hours of pumping the water out from the old shaft located nearby it was found that the water level in the old Shaft descended only by 6 inches," said the Odisha Fire Service official.

The official told that only after 8 hours of pumping the water level can be determined.

On Sunday the divers of Indian Navy who went inside the inundated mine in search of the 15 trapped miners returned disappointed after diving up to 70 feet deep.

Along with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), 20-member team of Odisha Fire Service is engaged in rescue operations.

The Odisha Fire Service team is equipped with 15 high-pressure pumps to drain out water from the mine in which the miners are trapped. As many as 15 miners have been trapped in a 370-feet deep illegal mine in Lumthari village since December 13, when the water from the nearby river Lytein flooded the mine.