Shillong: Navy divers will begin the retrieval attempt of the second miner’s body from the main shaft on Monday. The second body was located on Saturday inside the 370-foot deep coal mine in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district.
The Indian Navy in collaboration with the National Disaster Response Force has made relentless efforts to pull out the decomposed body to the top of the mine, using the Navy's remotely operated vehicle (ROV).
However, persistent efforts of navy divers to quicken the pace of retrieval have gone in vain in the face of obstructions received in form of exhaust pipes and objects used by the miners that are present in the rat hole. The turbidity in water has only added to the other obstacles.
Kirloskar pumps from the adjoining abandoned shafts are still being used to dewater the mine.
The first body, of Amir Hussain from Assam's Chirang district, spotted in the mine was handed over to the family members on Saturday morning.
In a joint operation, the Navy and the NDRF pulled Hussain's body out of the mine's shaft on Thursday, after it was first spotted on January 17.
On December 13, water from the nearby Lytein River flooded a network of tunnels in the illegal rat-hole coal mine in Lumthari village of East Jaintia Hills, trapping 15 men and prompting a multiple-agency rescue attempt.
Anxious family members of the trapped miners are camping in the district headquarters and visiting the site frequently for any news of their loved ones.
The owner of the mine, Krip Chullet, was arrested from his home on December 14. His accomplices are on the run.
The Meghalaya government has released Rs 1 lakh interim relief for the families of the trapped miners.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is monitoring the rescue mission and the matter is scheduled to come up for hearing again on Monday. Nearly 200 rescue personnel from the NDRF, the Indian Navy, Odisha Fire Service and state agencies are involved in the search-and-rescue operation.
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