At least 16 labourers killed in blast at illegal coal mine in Meghalaya; several feared trapped

At least 16 people were killed, and several labourers were feared trapped after an explosion occurred in a suspected illegal coal mine at a village in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district on Thursday (February 5, 2026), police said.

East Jaintia Hills district officials said 16 bodies have been recovered so far. Efforts on to rescue others presumed trapped

The incident occurred in the Thangsku area, Superintendent of Police Vikash Kumar said to PTI.

The police have sought assistance from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to carry out rescue operations at the site. “The SDRF team are yet to come,” Mr. Kumar said.

The explosion is suspected to have occurred during coal mining activities at the site, which is believed to be an illegal operation.

Asked whether the mine was operating illegally, the police officer said, “Yes, it seems like that.” He said the cause of the explosion is yet to be ascertained, and an inquiry will be conducted.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had imposed a ban on rat-hole coal mining and other unscientific mining practices in Meghalaya in 2014, citing environmental damage and safety risks, while also restricting illegal transportation of coal extracted through such methods.

Rat-hole mining involves digging of narrow tunnels, usually 3-4 feet high, for workers to enter and extract coal. The horizontal tunnels are often termed “rat-holes”, as each just about fits one person.

The Supreme Court later upheld the ban and allowed mining only under scientific and regulated procedures with environmental safeguards.

(with inputs from PTI)