IAF, Odisha fire services, Coal India team and additional NDRF personnel rushed to Meghalaya to rescue miners

Coal India Limited (CIL) officials have rushed to the site in remote Ksan area in East Jaintia Hills district. A two-member team from Kirloskar Brothers' Limited has already reached the site.

A team of the Odisha Fire Services have also left for Meghalaya to assist in the search and rescue operations.

The miners are trapped in a 370-foot-deep flooded rat-hole coal mine in the Ksan area of Lumthari village in Meghalaya since December 13.

Indian Air Force (IAF) Spokesman Wing Commander Ratnakar Singh said a C-130J Super Hercules has been tasked to airlift NDRF rescuers from Bhubaneswar to Guwahati on Friday.

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"We have been to the mining site on Thursday and made preliminary assessment along with the NDRF team. We have discussed plans and strategies with the NDRF and State administration how to dewater from the pit," N. Mahapatra of Kirloskar Brothers' Limited, told IANS.

"We require a good number of powerful pumps to suck out the water and this has been informed to our senior officials," he said.

Coal India Limited Director Technical Binay Dayal, who arrived in Shillong on Thursday and held discussions with district authorities, said that the first task is to try to get the map of the illegal coal mine.

"Our logistics and technical team are on the way to the mining site. We are hopeful that our powerful pumps reach the site soon. We have been told that several other agencies would also provide necessary assistance," he said.

The district administration has temporarily suspended pumping of water from the coal pit since December 24. However, the NDRF rescuers team dived inside the main shaft of the coal pit but could not locate any of the miners.

"The rescue operation is still on and our divers dived yesterday (Thursday) to locate the trapped miners but could not locate any of them. There is nothing in the main shaft of the coal pit. We have used all our equipment with us including SONAR to find out if any of the miners are trapped in the main shaft," NDRF Assistant Commandant Santosh Kumar Singh, told IANS.

Director General of Odisha Fire Services B K Sharma said a 20-member team led by chief fire officer Sukanta Sethi left for Shillong.

"Get, set and go," Sharma tweeted as the selected members of the Odisha Fire Services team boarded the IAF plane.

"They will assist local authorities in the rescue of the trapped coal miners," he said.

Stating that the team was carrying at least 20 high-power pumps, an official said each pump is capable of flushing out 1,600 litre water per minute.

"Odisha is among the few states endowed with the experience of handling such calamities," the official said.

The fire services personnel are also armed with several other high-tech equipment and gadgets for use during the rescue mission.

The team will first study and analyse the situation at the site before working out plans for the search and rescue mission, the official said.

Noting that carrying out rescue operation in a coal mine will be a unique experience for Odisha Fire Services personnel, he said, "Our men are well-trained and capable of handling any situation."

They have successfully carried out difficult rescue operations within and outside the state, including Kerala in the past, with the help of well-trained and experienced personnel, said the official.

A team of 240 Odisha fire service personnel had assisted in rescue operation of flood-ravaged Kerala in August this year.

Earlier, in 2014, they had taken part in relief and rescue operations in Andhra Pradesh during cyclone Hudhud.