SHILLONG: The second body detected in the rat-hole coal mine at Ksan in East Jaintia Hills district on January 26 continued to remain there as Indian Navy personnel once again made a futile effort to retrieve it on Thursday.
Official sources said turbidity and presence of materials inside the mine shaft were coming in the way of bringing out the body.
The first body, identified to be that of Amir Hussain of Chirang district in Assam, was detected on January 16 and later brought out and handed over to the family.
At least 15 miners were trapped when water filled the mine on December 13.
Pumping continues
The sources said Coal India Limited ran their two pumps for 17 hours each from 5 pm on Wednesday till 5pm of Thursday discharging 45,90,000 litres of water.
On the other hand, Kirloskar Brothers pumped out water from 5 pm of Wednesday till 5 pm of Thursday with an eight-hour break discharging 14,40,000 litres.
KSB Pumps, however, could not operate their pump due to repairs required to some pipes. They will resume work on Friday.
A report by the National Institute of Hydrology, submitted in the Supreme Court which is hearing a PIL on the ongoing rescue operations, has estimated that 15-20 pumps of 1000 gpm capacity in adjoining peripheral shafts may be required to de-water the “incident shaft” in 4-5 days. It, however, said pumping must continue “without any disruption. If the pumping is stopped, the water level in the incident shaft will rise again,” it said.
Sources associated with the de-watering of the peripheral shafts underway said there has been little change in the water level in the main shaft despite lakhs of litres being pumped out every day.
16th miner claim
Police will probe the claim of the family of Kuti Miya from Hojai, Assam that he was also trapped along with 15 others in the mine.
The family had in the past claimed that Miya was part of the group of miners who were engaged in extraction of coal at Ksan.
Earlier, when the list of missing miners was released, Miya’s name did not figure in it.
When contacted, the East Jaintia Hills Deputy Commissioner FM Dopth said this is a matter of inquiry by the Superintendent of Police.
The district administration is aware of the claim and hence entrusted the police to corroborate the same.
An official with the mining and geology department said proper verification will have to be done before any official announcement regarding the 16th miner since it is a sensitive matter.
