Even though chances of survival are bleak for the 15 miners who are trapped inside a flooded rat-hole coal mine in Meghalaya since December 13, rescue operations are being intensified by mining experts, firefighters and Indian Navy.
Indian Navy divers on Saturday joined the operation underway to rescue 15 miners trapped inside a flooded rat-hole coal mine in Meghalaya since December 13, officials said.
The illegal rat-hole coal mine is located at Lumthari village near Khliehriat, the headquarters of East Jaintia Hills district. It got flooded when water from nearby Lytein river gushed into it on December 13, trapping the 15 diggers.
Top 10 points:
# A 21-member team of fire fighters from Odisha, who was airlifted by Indian Air Force's C-130J Super Hercules from Bhubaneswar to the Guwahati airport, are proceeding towards the site at Ksan village in East Jaintia Hills district.
# A 15-member diving team of the Indian Navy will also be joining the rescue operation on Saturday.
# The Navy spokesman said in a tweet that a 15-member diving team from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh will reach the site in the remote Lumthari village in East Jaintia Hills district Saturday morning.
# "he team is carrying specialised diving equipment including a re-compression chamber and remotely operated vehicles capable of searching underwater. The Navy carried out an initial assessment on Friday to determine an effective response.
# A 10-member CIL team, including four surveyors and six technical engineers, arrived at the site and conducted a preliminary inspection of the mining area.
# Pump manufacturing company Kirloskar Brothers Ltd and Coal India were jointly moving 18 high-powered pumps to drain water out of the 37-foot-deep mine. A team of surveyers from the two companies also conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the situation.
# They will submit a report to East Jaintia Hills district authorities on the technicalities about positioning pumps for effectively carrying the operation, officials at the site said.
# The team would carry special diving equipment including a remote-operated vehicle capable of conducting underwater search.
# The Air Force has airlifted 10 pumps from Bhubaneswar. Its personnel have landed in Guwahati, 270 kilometres away from the coal mine, official sources said.
# The mine got flooded when water from the nearby Lytein river gushed into it on December 13, trapping the 15 diggers.
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