https://www.miningweekly.com

Trapped Indian miners presumed dead

15th January 2019

By: Ajoy K Das

Creamer Media Correspondent

     

Font size: - +

KOLKATA (miningweekly.com) – After more than a month, 15 illegal miners trapped in a coal mine in the north-eastern Indian state of Meghalaya are presumed to be dead even though the Supreme Court monitoring rescue operations said that “hunt must continue as miracles do happen”.

On December 13, 15 miners were trapped 370 ft below in a coal mine in the Jantia Hills in Meghalaya when the mine was flooded. Coal mining in Meghalaya, though officially banned, but commonly known as ‘rat hole’ mining stemming from holes bored along the hill face, is rampant across the state.

More than 200 rescue workers drawn from the Indian Navy, National Disaster Management Authority and Coal India Limited have been engaged in rescue operations over the past month, but with little success in reaching the depth where the illegal miners are suspected to have been trapped.

Officials said that the mine was flooded from water from a nearby river, and as typified by rat hole mining the disaster stricken mine was networked with a labyrinth of tunnels, with as many as 20 mines so connected, making the task of  pumping out water and accessing the trapped miners virtually impossible.

Political questions have been raised over the Meghalaya government’s failure to stop illegal rat hole mining even after the National Green Tribunal in a ruling banned such coal mining across north-eastern states.

Meanwhile, in a related development, according to information placed by the Indian government before Parliament, 377 miners engaged in coal, minerals and oil were killed in various incidents between 2015 and 2017.

The yearly breakdown of the toll showed that 129 were killed in mining accidents in 2017, 145 in 2016 and 103 in 2015.

The state of Jharkhand reported 69 deaths during these three years, the highest toll being in coal mine accidents, with as many as 23 killed in a single mining accident at the opencast Goda coal mine in 2016.

In the non-coal sector, Rajasthan recorded the highest number of mineral mine accident deaths of 48 during these three years, records placed in Parliament showed.

Edited by Mariaan Webb
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

Comments

Showroom

John Thompson
John Thompson

John Thompson, the leader in energy and environmental solutions through value engineering and innovation, provides the following: design, engineer,...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
Booyco Electronics
Booyco Electronics

Booyco Electronics, South African pioneer of Proximity Detection Systems, offers safety solutions for underground and surface mining, quarrying,...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Hyphen, Eva mine, ferrochrome price make headlines
Hyphen, Eva mine, ferrochrome price make headlines
27th March 2024
Resources Watch
Resources Watch
27th March 2024

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.148 0.183s - 90pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now