As operation to rescue 15 trapped miners continue at the 370-foot-deep illegal coal mine in East Jaintia Hills district, a survivor of the 13 December accident said on Saturday, 29 December that there is no way the trapped miners will come out alive.
He said four others who made it alive had fled to their homes in West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya.
He said four of those who escaped were the men who were tasked with loading coal into the metal box.
Recounting the 13 December nightmare, Ali said," all men started work early at about 5 am. By about 7 am, the entire mine was full of water."
Going by Ali's story, at least 17 people are still trapped inside the illegal coal pit as only five narrowly escaped the flooding mine out of the 22 men who went in.
"My only hope is to see that their bodies are pulled out and last rites are carried out as per traditions," Ali said, breaking down into tears.
On 13 December, he spent the entire day at the flooded mine and slept in a nearby active coal mine in the night, he said.
The ill-fated mine is roughly 370 feet and as of 29 December, the rescue officials have calculated that about 170 feet is full of water, an NDRF official said.
In Lumthari village where Ali and his fellow miners went to work, coal is found roughly between 200-500 feet underneath the ground.
Asked on what prompted him to go and work in the dangerous coal mines of Meghalaya, Ali said the mines promised a big amount of money at the end of the week.
Family members of at least 7 trapped miners, hailing from West Garo Hills district of the state, have already given up hope to rescue their kins alive and requested the government to retrieve the bodies for the last rites.
Shohor Ali who hails from Magurmari village in West Garo Hills district and whose son, brother and son-in-law were among the victims at Lumthari village, told PTI, "We have lost all hope to see them alive. I just wanted the authorities to help retrieve the dead bodies for their last rites."
The three were allegedly lured to the coal mines at Lumthari as it involves bigger wages and on an average each miner gets paid Rs 2000 per day, he said.
Kins of four other victims also did not sound optimistic of seeing their dear ones alive Shohar Ali was among the first people who came to know of the accident when he received a call within minutes when the mine was flooded.
One of the 5 persons who narrowly escaped the flooded mine called him up to inform of the accident.
Ali in turn called up his MLA (Rajabala constituency) Azad Aman to find out about the accident and who later called up the SP of the district to verify.
It took the police several hours before finally locating the place where the accident took place, the MLA said.
The state government had announced a Rs 1 lakh interim relief on December 22 to the family members of each of the 15 miners trapped and feared dead, 10 days after the accident took place.
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