NEW DELHI: Many experts are of the view that it is too late to rescue the trapped miners alive but hope still lingers with some citing the example of the 2010 incident in Chile.
In 2010, 33 miners trapped in a mine in Chile were rescued alive after 69 days. But that was a different case altogether and there was no flood water in that copper mine. The trapped miners climbed up through a narrow elevator like chamber suspended by a cable in a hole drilled through the rocks.
The case in Meghalaya is more critical with water flooding the rat-hole mine where the 15 miners are believed to be trapped. The situation becomes precarious in the event of the water turning acidic.
Now it is entering nearly four weeks and the miners are under nearly hundred feet of water with no chance of survival, expert said. Moreover, with the nearby mines and river water seeping into the mines must have turned the high sulpher content of this coal mine acidic, they opine.
Experts who were pondering over the matter during the three-day court trial here said the nearby mines and river water seeping into the affected mine must have turned the high sulphur content of this coal mine acidic.
Brian Kharpran Daly, the famous caver from Meghalaya, said miners could not have survived for more than few minutes under the water.
The often quoted Thailand cave mishap case in June last year is not applicable here, Daly said. The Thai cave had high ground where the students found shelter and survived despite flash floods, he added.
It is an irony that attendance at illegal coal mines is normally taken when miners come out and not when they go inside. This is done to minimise the number of causalities which is frequent in rat-hole mines and goes largely unreported.
In Meghalaya, the miners are also from neighbouirng Bangladesh or Nepal.
The situation can be best explained as the day ended on weekend, an NDRF officer asked a district official, “What do the people say? Any chances?”
“No, sir, no chance,” he had replied.
The NDRF officer turned to an executive from Xylem Inc, an American multinational “water technology” company who had arrived early that day after “seeing media reports” about the accident.
“Do you still want to try?” the rescue officer asked. “Yes, sir, that’s why we are here,” the executive replied. “To try and get something out at least.”
