By NE NOW NEWS
Guwahati: The body of a 41-year-old man was recovered from an abandoned coal mine in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district after rescuers spent nearly a week searching the site.
The man had reportedly fallen into the disused mine near the DC Office area in Khliehriat on May 26 while trying to collect drinking water.
Authorities said the mine shaft was around 120 feet deep.
Following the incident, the district administration deployed a rescue team from the Shillong-based 1st Battalion of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to carry out search operations at the location.
Rescuers faced severe challenges as nearly 40 feet of the mine shaft was submerged under water.
Local residents and members of the victim’s family assisted the operation by helping run pumping equipment to reduce the water level.
For several days, rescuers, officials and volunteers worked continuously to make the interior of the mine accessible and continue the search.
The operation finally yielded results on June 1 when a team consisting of four SDRF personnel and two local volunteers entered the shaft for another search attempt.
Rescuers wrapped up the operation late at night after recovering the body from the flooded mine shaft.
Following the recovery, police initiated the necessary legal and official procedures.