From Our Correspondent
TURA: The special search and rescue teams of the centre’s National Disaster and Rescue Force (NDRF) which have been conducting operations inside the flooded coal mine at Rongsa Awe region of Nongalbibra in South Garo Hills have officially called off the rescue on Friday.
The head of the thirty-one member team of search and rescue personnel that included specialized divers officially notified the district administration in Baghmara about the futility of the exercise.
The divers had entered the mine shaft, 140 meters below, and tried to make their way through a side hole which was used by the miners to go deeper into the shaft but were unable to enter further due to the continuous flow of water from inside and threat of the walls caving in.
Having repeatedly tried to enter the mine for most part of Thursday a decision was taken to withdraw the operation.
The divers had even used a special detector inside the cave to search for movement of the miners which turned out to be negative indicating that those trapped may have eventually perished in the aftermath of the tragedy which took place a week ago.
Although the specialized rescue team has packed up, district authorities are continuing with their side of the rescue bid using close to a dozen water pumps to bring out the water from the mine.
Questions are now being raised on the mine operator for failing to notify authorities immediately after the accident occurred and a cover up is not being ruled out. Already the mine operator Gurdeep Singh and his foreman identified as one ‘Captain’ had been arrested along with the Nokma of the land, Kudon A Sangma, where the quarry was located.
Interestingly, no local has been forthcoming with any details of the tragedy and almost all the labourers engaged in extracting coal from the ill-fated quarry have fled.
Authorities came to know about the tragedy only on Monday afternoon after word leaked out of the mishap from locals prompting a huge rescue attempt.