Shillong, January 11: Multi-agency efforts to rescue the miners trapped in a Meghalaya mine since 13th December 2018 made a little progress on Friday after authorities managed to drain out 28 lakh litres of water from the main shaft. According to reports, high-powered pumps were used to pull out the water but Navy divers found no change in the water level in the rat-hole mine to resume search operation. According to a report by PTI, the rescuers used pumps from Coal India Ltd, Kirloskar Brothers Ltd and the Odisha Fire Service have managed to pump out 2.1 crore litres of water from the mines. What Is Rat-Hole Mining? 15 Meghalaya Miners Trapped in Illegal Mine Waits for Help From Government.

According to details by the Navy, the water level in the entire area was totally raptured and the search will continue in the adjacent mines. Reports quoted operation spokesperson R Susngi saying that the Navy has conducted searches in at least six mines, including in the main shaft, for the trapped diggers, but there has been no success. Prompt, Immediate, Effective Operation Required to Rescue 15 People, Says SC. 

Nearly 200 rescuers from the Navy, NDRF, the Odisha Fire Service, State Disaster Response Fund, state Fire service and others from CIL and KBL are involved in the multi-agency rescue operations. Susngi said the water level is about 160 feet deep and divers of the Indian Navy and the National Disaster Response Force are unable to perform safe diving as it is beyond their 100 feet diving capacity. Meghalaya Mining Tragedy: Supreme Court Orders Centre and Meghalaya to File Status Report on Progress of Rescue Operations by January 7.

On December 13 last year, at least 15 miners were trapped in a 370 foot-deep illegal coal mine at Khloo Ryngksan area of Nongkhlieh under East Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya. Earlier, the Supreme Court came hard on the state government of Meghalaya for not been able to trace the miners.

The top court had also expressed strong dissatisfaction over the rescue efforts to trace the miners and had asked the state government to bring them out dead or alive. Reports inform that the district authorities have sought an additional fund of Rs 50 lakh to make payments for the various utilities hired for the rescue effort.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 11, 2019 11:33 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).