At least 18 miners were killed on Thursday in a powerful explosion at an illegal rat-hole coal mine in the East Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya, officials said, as rescue efforts continue amid fears more workers remain trapped underground.
The blast occurred in the remote Thangsku area of the district early in the morning at a narrow, unregulated coal pit where workers were extracting coal by hand. Bodies of 18 workers have been recovered so far, and one injured miner has been hospitalised, while the total number of workers inside at the time of the explosion remains unclear.
Local authorities, with support from disaster response teams, have launched search and rescue operations. The incident has drawn renewed scrutiny to the hazardous practice of rat-hole mining, a method involving small tunnels banned by Indian courts due to safety and environmental concerns, but which persists in parts of northeastern India. Officials have pledged strict action against those responsible for operating the illegal mine.