Navy divers detect one of 15 Meghalaya miners trapped in a rat-hole coal mine

The divers of Indian Navy on Thursday detected the body of one miner out of 15 who are trapped in an illegal rat-hole coal mine in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district for over a month now.

The body was detected by the divers using underwater remotely operated vehicle (UROV) at a depth approximately between 60 feet and 210 feet inside a rat-hole mine. Total depth at which the body has been recovered is around 70 meters from the surface.

Search operations to locate the rest of the miners are still underway. Odisha Fire Service is operating pumps in an effort to remove water from the mine. A team of doctors and other senior officials are present on the spot, monitoring the rescue operations.

KSB, a German company, is likely to install its pumps by Thursday evening to pump out the water. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is also coordinating with other agencies in carrying out the rescue operation in an effective manner.

Fifteen miners have been trapped in the 370-feet deep illegal mine in Lumthari village since December 13 last year, when water from the nearby Lytein river flooded the mine. Since then, a multi-agency rescue operation has been attempting to evacuate the miners.