In terrible news, the coal-rich belt of Meghalaya was left shaken Thursday morning by a powerful blast that struck a mine in the remote Tashkhai region. Preliminary reports by local authorities say that 10 workers died instantly as the blast exploded deep within the pit.
The Incident And Recovery
The blast occurred at about 9:30 AM while a fresh shift of workers was entering the mine. The force exerted by the explosion partially collapsed the entry shaft, leaving some other survivors trapped in it. Local villagers, trying to extract people trapped in debris, were first to reach the scene before the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and local police arrived.
"Our recovery operation is challenging because of the instability within mine walls following the blast," said a senior police officer from East Jaintia Hills district. "So far 10 bodies have been recovered, and we are studying if any more people are locked inside."
Assam victims
The official identification of victims remains in progress, but preliminary investigations have indicated that most of the deceased are migrant labourers from the Goalpara and Dhubri districts of Assam. Families living in these border areas have apparently started contacting the local governments after they failed to reach their relatives who were working in the Tashkhai mines.
The Question of Legality
The incident has renewed the heated controversy around “rat-hole” mining and illegal operations in Meghalaya. The NGT has imposed several bans and strict regulations over the years, as the region tends to be more remote, leading to underground activity without even the most basic safety measures in place. Experts said the blast was possibly the result of buildup of methane gas or the mishandling of gelatin sticks used to blast with no regulation.
Government Response
The Meghalaya state government has announced ex-gratia payment of ₹5 lakh to the families of the deceased and called for a high-level judicial inquiry into the cause of the blast. At the same time, the Assam state government has sent in a group to help find and return the bodies.
