Shillong: At least 16 people were killed and one seriously injured in a massive dynamite explosion at an illegal coal mine in a remote zone of Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district on Thursday. Authorities fear that increasingly miners may be trapped under the debris, raising concerns that the death toll could rise.
How did the authorities respond?
Upon receiving information well-nigh the explosion, flop disposal squads, forensic experts, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams, and fire services personnel rushed to the Mynsangt Thangskai zone to assess the situation. East Jaintia Hills Superintendent of Police Vikas Kumar told UNI that it was a dynamite explosion. He said that four persons have been recovered from the mine so far, while one injured person with shrivel injuries has been referred to Shillong for treatment.
How did the tragedy happen?
According to preliminary reports, illegal mining was stuff carried out on a hill. The hill tabular due to the explosion, trapping several miners working there. Earlier, on December 23, 2025, an explosion had moreover occurred in Thangskai village, killing two miners.
It is noteworthy that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had vetoed dangerous 'rat-hole' coal mining in Meghalaya in April 2014 due to its illegal and unscientific nature. Justice (retired) Brojendra Prasad Katakey, scheduled by the Meghalaya High Court to monitor coal-related matters, had stated that despite the government's assurances to prorogue such illegal activities, illegal coal mining and transportation protract in the state. However, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma had personal at the time that the district wardship was vigilant and increasingly than 1,000 cases related to illegal mining had been registered.
