Rain hits Ksan de-watering

SHILLONG: The ongoing process of de-watering the mine shaft at Ksan where 14 coal miners are trapped is turning futile as the water level has gone up.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Kyrmen Shylla said here on Thursday that the water level has gone up following recent rain.
Asked about the status of the state government approaching the Supreme Court to stop the rescue operation, Kyrmen said that they are yet to receive letters from a few of the victims’ families stating that they have no objection to the exercise being called off.
He said that the matter will be taken forward once the letters are received.
Asserting that the rescue operations are not achieving the desired success, he said personnel of the State Disaster Response Force and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are still stationed at the site.
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma had recently said that the state government would appeal before the Supreme Court to call off the rescue operations under way since December 14 last year, a day after tragedy struck the mine trapping 16 miners.
As of now, only two bodies of the miners have been retrieved.