Jowai ( Meghalaya ), Jan 22 : Six workers were killed while working in a coal mine in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills in yet another major illegal mining accident last evening in the hills adjoining Deinshalalu, East Jaintia Hills (EJH), a few Kms from the Lad Rymbai junction.
The incident and number of dead was confirmed by the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of EJH, E. Kharmalki.
All the six bodies have been recovered and a team of officials under a magistrate have reached the spot where an inquest will be conducted. The bodies were recovered from a shallow pit of mud.
The incident occurred when the crane that was being used to dig up the ground broke loose and smashed into the ground.
The bodies of the miners were retrieved on Friday morning. They have been sent to the Community Health Centre in Khliehriat for an autopsy.
Those killed have been identified as Jilal Uddin (25) from Jalabad, Karimganj, Dilwar Hussain (35), Ali Hussain (40) and Mokbul Hussain who are brothers and hailed from Karimganj, Abdul Sabur (32) from Laborputa, Silchar district. The sixth person is yet to be identified.
In December 2018, 15 miners got trapped in a mine after it got flooded near the Lytein river in the East Jaintia Hills district. About 200 personnel from the Navy, National Disaster Response Force, Coal India, and Kirloskar Brothers Limited took part in the rescue effort.
Only two bodies could be recovered till July 2019 when the Supreme Court allowed the state government to call off the rescue operation.
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