The operation to rescue 15 miners trapped in an illegal mine in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district since December 13 saw some progress on Friday.
District officials said the Odisha Fire Service personnel drained out enough water from an old shaft for the other agencies to lower high-power pumps in the main pit where 15 coal miners are trapped.
The old and freshly-dug mines are interconnected, and the miners are believed to have either hit an aquifer or a water-filled abandoned mine.
“The water in the old shaft receded by 3.5 ft after the Odisha Fire Service personnel used two pumps to drain out 9,00,000 litres,” a spokesperson said. While people from Coal India Limited inserted its pump in the old shaft, those from Kirloskar lowered two pumps in the main shaft,” a spokesperson said.
Pumping of water from the main shaft is expected by Saturday, the seventh day of the renewed operation. The water level in the 350 ft deep main shaft needs to go down to a certain level before the Navy divers can go in, officials said.
The water level of another interconnected old shaft nearby went down by 13 inches since Thursday. But the level rose again after water seeped in throughout the night.
