Two weeks on, 13 miners continue to be trapped in coal mine

Even two weeks after 13 miners got trapped in a coal mine here, the attempts by the rescuers to reach them have yielded no success yet.

High water level is proving to be the main obstacle in the rescue efforts, officials said.

The miners, on December 13, got trapped in an illegal coal mine at Ksan in Saipung area of the Meghalaya's East Jaintia hills after it collapsed and got flooded by the adjacent Lytein River.

The personnel from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the police have been making attempts each day to reach the trapped miners but without any success.

"Our rescuers have just come out from inside the mine which is inundated. There is no change in the water level since last two days while the pumps to drain out water are also closed," NDRF Assistant Commandant Santosh Kumar Singh said.

He said a "slight foul smell" is emanating from the water surface and "it is difficult to withstand for long".

The attempt to reach the trapped miners will continue, he added.

"There is also no change in the colour of water and nothing was found floating at the surface. We will again enter the mine in a while to observe things," he said.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said the rescue teams have been facing challenges in evacuating the trapped miners.

The high water level is making the operation difficult, he said.

According to police, only three helmets were found during the search operation even as miners remain trapped in the coal pit.

Despite a ban imposed by the National Green Tribunal in 2014, mining activities were underway at the site in Ksan village.