Over 100 personnel have been pressed into action since Friday morning in Meghalaya (File)
The efforts to locate 13 workers trapped in a flooded coal mine in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district have been called off for the day. The search for the missing miners will continue on Sunday morning. Officials said more water has to be pumped out of the mine, which was being operated illegally.
On the question of checking illegal mining in the state, Meghalaya Home Minister James Sangma has said the state police doesn't have enough manpower to track every case of illegal mining. "The police department does not have enough manpower to track every case of illegal mining. Like this case, which took place in (the) interior (part of the state), so we act only if there is a specific intelligence. But to go looking out for illegal mining, we don't have so much manpower," Mr Sangma said.
He called the rescue operation a "difficult task". "They are trying to pump out water and at the same time look for survivors," he added.
Over 100 personnel have been pressed into action since Friday morning to rescue the people from the 320-feet deep mine.
Dozens of emergency workers were pumping water out of a large trench that was flooded early Thursday. The water inside the mine is around 70 feet deep, official sources said.
The rescue teams include personnel from the National Disaster Response, State Disaster Response Force and civil defence.
One person was arrested for his alleged involvement in operating the illegal mine, the police said.
The accused was arrested from his home in Norman village in the same district on Friday night, they said.
"We have arrested Krip Chulet of Norman village one of the accused persons involved in illegal mining at Ksan area of Lumthari village,"a senior official said.
The prime accused is on the run, they said.
With inputs from PTI