Four killed in dynamite blast at illegal coal mine in Meghalaya’s Jaintia Hills
Authorities warn toll may rise as partially collapsed hill likely trapped more miners after the explosion site
A file photo of rat-hole coal mines in Meghalaya. (Photo:X)
Shillong, Feb 5: Four people were killed and one seriously injured in a dynamite blast at an illegal coal mine in the Mynsyngat–Thangsko area of Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district on Thursday.
“Four bodies have been retrieved from the remote coal mine area. One person with burn injuries has been shifted to Shillong for treatment,” East Jaintia Hills Superintendent of Police Vikash Kumar told The Assam Tribune.
Personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Fire and Emergency Services were rushed to the site to assist with rescue and recovery operations.
Officials said there could be more casualties, as reports from the location suggested that additional miners might be trapped after the hill where the illegal mining was underway partially caved in following the blast.
Police said the identities of the deceased were yet to be confirmed. While there were reports suggesting that the victims could be residents of Assam, officials said no such claims had been verified at the time of filing this report.
Thursday’s incident comes amid continuing concerns over illegal coal mining in the district. The same Thangsko area had witnessed a similar dynamite blast on December 23, 2025, which killed two miners.
In that earlier case, district police had initially dismissed reports of an explosion as “baseless”. However, following media reports, the Justice (retd) B.P. Katakey committee, a one-man panel appointed by the Meghalaya High Court to probe illegal coal mining and transportation in the state, sought a report from the police.
The Meghalaya Human Rights Commission (MHRC) also took suo motu cognisance and called for a detailed report from the state government.
With Thursday’s blast, the death toll linked to illegal coal mining incidents in East Jaintia Hills has risen to seven in recent weeks.
Earlier, on January 14, a worker from Assam, Mosaid Ali (48), a resident of Jamuna Moudanga in Assam’s Hojai district, was killed in an accident at an illegal coal mine in Umthe village in the district.
Police had confirmed that incident, which also came under the scrutiny of the Justice Katakey committee.
The repeated incidents have renewed focus on the persistence of illegal coal mining in Meghalaya, despite ongoing judicial oversight and directives aimed at curbing the practice.