SHILLONG, June 9: A ten-day effort to rescue six miners trapped in a 500-ft deep coal mine at Umpleng in East Jaintia Hills is yet to achieve any breakthrough but the government and the district administration would continue with the rescue operation, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said on Wednesday.
The chief minister lamented that despite their best efforts the rescuers have not been able to achieve any positive result so far.
Meanwhile, the East Jaintia Hills district administration is exploring the possibility of immersing the Kirloskar pumps in the water-filled mine using a crane and has asked the PHE department to examine the same.
An official overseeing the rescue efforts at Krem Ule said that the water level at the main shaft was found to have reduced by 30 feet on Wednesday morning.
So far, 4.5 lakh liters of water has been pumped out of the main shaft while around 2.16 lakh liters of water was de-pumped from the second shaft connected to the main mine where the labourers are believed to be trapped.
The dewatering process has been boosted with additional water pumps being installed at the main shaft.
A team consisting of 22 NDRF, 11 SDRF, 14 SRT and 20 local skilled labourers is engaged in the rescue operation. In addition, 50 personnel from the district administration and 30 police personnel are also helping in the efforts.
