๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐๐ฒ๐
Thirty-one people have died, and ten others were injured following a dynamite explosion at a coal mine in Meghalayaโs East Jaintia Hills district, authorities confirmed on February 11.
The blast occurred on February 5 at a mine in the MynsyngatโThangsko area. The Meghalaya State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), in a press release issued from Shillong at 10 am on February 11, placed the death toll at 31 and said 10 workers sustained injuries in the incident.
The explosion is reported to have taken place around 11 am and is suspected to have been triggered by dynamite. Initial reports indicated that several miners were trapped underground after the blast.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken suo motu cognisance of media reports describing the mine as an allegedly illegal rat-hole operation. The Tribunal registered an original application based on a news report published on February 6, 2026, highlighting the scale of the tragedy and potential violations of environmental regulations.
A Bench comprising NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Expert Member A. Senthil Vel observed that the incident appeared, prima facie, to involve non-compliance with earlier orders of the Tribunal. Rat-hole mining had previously been banned, raising concerns over the continuation of such operations despite restrictions.
