Meghalaya mine collapse: 45 days later, second body of miner detected

New Delhi, Jan 26: The body of another miner was detected by a joint rescue team of NDRF and the Indian Navy from a rat-hole mine in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills on Saturday.

The second body was detected on Saturday by an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV), equipped with an electronic eye and mechanical arms, at a distance of 280 ft from where the first body was detected.

Meanwhile, the local authorities have handed over the body of first victim - identified as Amir Hussain(35) - to his widow and uncle at district headquarters Khliehriat.

Last week, Hussain's yet-to-be-identified body was detected in the mine at a depth of 160 feet and at a lateral distance of 210 feet into the rat-hole tunnel. The highly decomposed body was pulled to the water surface by an underwater remotely operated vehicle (UROV) and then taken out.

At least 15 miners were trapped in the remote illegal coal mine in Khloo Ryngksan in East Jaintia hills district when it got flooded on December 13. The operation to look for survivors continues. The miners were trapped after water gushed into the illegal mine located in Ksan village, about 130 km from the state capital Shillong. Only five managed to escape.