Meghalaya mine tragedy: 27 dead workers were from Assam
A tragic blast at an illegal rat-hole coal mine in East Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya, killed 27 workers and injured nine others on Thursday, February 5.
The site, about 70km from Shillong, saw rescue teams working nonstop since February 5 to recover bodies from the flooded, cramped tunnels.
PM Modi announced compensation
Among those lost were daily wage workers from Assam.
Police have arrested two mine operators as part of an ongoing investigation, and Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has called for a full inquiry.
Rat-hole mining—banned for over a decade because it's so dangerous—involves digging narrow tunnels just big enough for one person to crawl through.
In response to the disaster, PM Modi announced compensation of ₹2 lakh for each victim's family and ₹50,000 for those injured.