Meghalaya: Death Toll in EJH Mine Explosion Reaches 25, Two Held

Shillong: The death toll  in the recent explosion at a coal mine in the Thangsko area of Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district has climbed to 25, marking it as the deadliest mining disaster in the state's recent history.

The incident occurred on Thursday in the Mynsyngat-Thangsko region, where an explosion, believed to have been triggered by dynamite or similar means, occurred inside the alleged unauthorised rat-hole mine, followed by a fire that trapped and injured workers.

On Friday, officials arrested two of the five alleged mine owners. The accused were identified as Forme Chyrmang (36) from Jalaphet Pordung and Shamehi War (42) from Sutnga Pohwailong. They were presented before a local court and remanded to three days of police custody for further interrogation.

Rescue efforts persisted throughout Friday, involving multiple agencies including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Search and Rescue Team (SRT), Border Security Force (BSF) , and local teams.

After recovering 18 bodies on Thursday, rescuers retrieved four more on Friday from various mine shafts. NDRF Commandant H.P.S. Kandari reported that searches in the first shaft yielded no results, while one body was found in the second shaft and three in the third.

Additionally, two injured survivors succumbed to their wounds after being taken to Khliehriat Civil Hospital and Jowai Civil Hospital by family members. Another victim, Nor Bahadur (35), who suffered over 80% burn injuries, died at NEIGRIHMS in Shillong, pushing the toll to 25.

Of the remaining eight injured workers, two, Raju Tamang and Jamil Ahmed, are in critical condition and on ventilators.

Others, including Dawa Sherpa (70% burns), Ramesh Basnet (54% burns), and Kojin Koran (60% burns), are undergoing treatment at facilities such as Woodland Hospital and NEIGRIHMS. Three have been moved to general wards but remain in serious condition.

Seventeen of the 25 deceased have been identified and their bodies released to families following post-mortems and legal formalities. The victims include individuals from Meghalaya, Assam, and Nepal. A Nepali labourer, Mani Kumar Tamang, who was at the site, stated that the mining operation had five owners.

Officials from Assam's Cachar and Hailakandi districts have joined the response at the site. Senior Meghalaya officials, including Revenue & Disaster Management Minister Lahkmen Rymbui, Health & Family Welfare Minister Wailadmiki Shylla, local MLA Santa Mary Shylla, and Principal Secretary (Home) FR Kharkongor, visited the location on Friday along with district teams. Two additional NDRF units, accompanied by doctors and officers, also arrived to bolster operations.

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