The families of the miners who were trapped since December 13 last year at the Khloo Ryngksan mine in Meghalaya’s East Jaiñtia Hills district now at least want their bodies recovered.
According to a report in the Indian Express, It has been more than a month now since the miners got trapped when water from a river nearby gushed through a puncture in the mine wall. Hope of finding them alive faded on Thursday when the Indian Navy divers captured pictures of a body inside a 370-feet flooded coal mine.
Indian Navy divers have captured pictures of a body inside a 370-feet flooded coal mine at Khloo Ryngksan Meghalaya’s East Jaiñtia Hills district, where 15 miners have been trapped since last year.
The devastated family members of the trapped miners now atleast want their bodies recovered — even if it’s just a finger, a hand or a leg.
In a joint operation between the Indian Navy and the NDRF, a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) had detected a body 200 metres from the main shaft. After spotting the body, rescue officials are still undecided on retrieving the decomposing body
Spokesperson for the rescue operation, R. Susngi said, officials met representatives of families of five workers and explained to them the probability of the body breaking into pieces and disintegrating if attempts are made to retrieve it.
“The meeting is on how best the decomposed body can be retrieved or otherwise,”
Manik Ali, brother of trapped worker Monirul Islam of Assam’s Chirang district, said, “I spoke to my father and the relatives of the other two men from our area and told them of the situation. Everyone says that even if there is hope for even one body part to be extracted, it should be done.”
Mohammad Shahmat Ali, brother of another trapped worker Shahir Islam, said: “Who will not want the body if it is possible. We have told officials that attempts to retrieve this body should be made and further search for other bodies should continue. We do not know which worker’s body this is but attempts should be made.”
The detection of the body came 32 days after the miners were trapped inside the coal mine.