GUWAHATI, Feb 17: Two labourers from Assam are reported to have “died of asphyxiation while working deep inside a coal mine” in the Shallang area of West Khasi Hills in Meghalaya.
According to local sources, the deceased have been identified as Ainuddin Ali (28), a resident of number 3 Malibari village, and Sukur Ali (30), a resident of Botiamari village.
Both villages fall under the Boko area of Kamrup district, which shares a border with West Khasi Hills district.
In a viral video clip, a villager, when asked by a local correspondent, said, “The two workers had gone deep inside a coal mine, which was reportedly closed for about four to five years, but died of suffocation, possibly because of lack of oxygen.”
The distance between Shallang and Boko by road (via NH-17 and NH-217) is about 118 km.
“The duo had gone to work in the mine at Shallang last week,” the villager said.
Ainuddin’s father, Esahak Ali, said he came to know about the death of his son on Wednesday night.
Ainuddin was the sole breadwinner in the household, Esahak told the local correspondent in the video.
However, when contacted, officer in-charge of Boko police station, Bhadreswar Pegu told The Shillong Times on Thursday evening that he did not have any official information to confirm the death of two workers inside a mine in Meghalaya’s West Khasi Hills district.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said he was not aware of the death of the two coal miners in Shallang.
“I don’t have any information on that,” he replied to a query on the latest mine mishap in the state.