R Kharmujai

Shillong, Jan 17: The families of the trapped miners inside an illegal 370-feet flooded coal mine in Meghalaya on Thursday said they want the “dead bodies” of the miners to be taken out of the coal mine as per the order of the Supreme Court.
On Wednesday, Indian  Naval divers captured pictures of a body inside the mine at Ksan village in East Jaintia Hills district, using an underwater ROV (remotely operated vehicle) at a depth of approx 160 feet and 210 feet inside a rat-hole mine.
“The body has been pulled up to the mouth of the mine and will be extracted out under the supervision of doctors,” the Navy spokesperson said in a tweet.
“The rescuers showed us video footages of a dead body stuck inside a coal mine in a computer (read underwater ROV). We don’t know whose dead body it is. We want the government to follow the Supreme Court order to get the bodies out of that coal mine,” said Malik Ali, the bother of Munirul Islam, who is among those trapped in the mine.
Ali, who visited the tragedy site along with other families and friends of the other trapped miners in the pit, said that they also wanted the bodies to be taken out for a decent burial.”

The body has been detected 32 days after the miners were trapped inside the mine on December 13 due to water gushing inside the mine. 

Five miners managed to escape and alert people about the tragedy at Ksan village, about 130 km from Shillong. Rescue efforts are on to salvage the remaining 14 miners. 
“We were told that a dead body was spotted inside the mine. They showed us video footage of the body in the computer. They are trying to retrieve it. We want the body said that we can give a decent burial according to our religious rites,” said Pressmeky Dkhar, the youngest uncle of the two brothers Dimonme and his elder brother Melambok said.
With the dead body showing sign of decomposition, the district authorities sought the consent of the family members of the trapped miners to furnish their views by Friday on whether to take out the dead body from the ill-fated coal mine.
“The Deputy Commissioner (F.M.Dopth) invited the family members three from Lumthari village and two from Assam’s Chirang district   to view the video provided by the UROV that the body has sign of decomposition and all efforts to retrieve the same,” Rescue Spokesperson Reginald Susngi said.
“As per expert opinion it (body) will lead to a total disintegration. The body has been pulled up to 100 feet from 210 feet position originally detected from the shaft and many body parts have started to disengage,” Susngi stated.
The Supreme Court bench comprising Justices A.K. Sikri and S. Abdul Nazeer had expressed dissatisfaction with the rescue operation and ordered : “No matter whether they (trapped persons) are all dead, some alive, few dead or all alive, they should have been taken out by now. We pray to God that they all are alive.”
The Meghalaya government has roped in several central agencies including a team from Hyderabad-based National Geophysical Research Institute and Chennai-based Planys Technologies in the rescue operation. 
Coal India Limited, Odisha firefighters, Kirloskar Brothers Limited are dewatering the abandoned coal mine shafts and the main shaft where the miners are trapped.
The Meghalaya  Cabinet on Wednesday discussed the ongoing rescue operations at the tragedy site.
"Till this moment experts are still on the job. Until and unless we get their views, we cannot say anything. Once that is done, then we will accordingly file affidavit in the Supreme Court," Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong had said after the Cabinet when asked about the possibility of calling off the rescue operation.
Coal mine accidents that have been rampant in the mountainous state for their unscientific “rat hole mining” habits even after a National Green Tribunal imposed an interim ban in April 2014.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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