Two teams of a private pump manufacturing company, which has volunteered to provide equipment to drain out water from the rat-hole coal mine in Meghalaya where 15 diggers have been trapped for nearly a fortnight, arrived at the site Thursday.
Rescuers from the Indian Air Force and Coal India are expected to reach the mine in East Jaintia Hills district Friday.
Superintendent of Police Sylvester Mongtynger said two teams from Kirloskar Brothers Ltd arrived Thursday to help in rescuing the miners trapped in the 370-foot-deep illegal mine.
"We are deeply concerned about the trapped miners in Meghalaya and are ready to help in whichever way possible. We are in touch with the officials of the Government of Meghalaya to offer our assistance in this regard," Kirloskar Brothers Ltd said in a statement late Wednesday night.
Indian Air Force spokesperson Ratnakar Singh said the National Disaster Management Authority has requested the IAF to airlift rescuers from Bhubaneswar to either Guwahati or Shillong airport Friday.
Sources in Coal India Ltd said Thursday officers and surveyers are on their way to the site.
Also Read
A senior government official said they will assess the situation including the road condition leading to the mine in a remote area in the district and accordingly report to their office, which will then take a call on what equipment are required to launch a rescue operation.
The search-and-rescue operation was suspended on Saturday after water pumped out of the mine did not lead to a drop in the water level.
On Thursday, the National Disaster Response Force contradicted media reports which quoted it as saying that the trapped minors were suspected to be dead on the basis of the "foul odour" the force's divers had smelt when they had gone inside the mine.
The NDRF battalion based in Guwahati, which is carrying out the rescue operation, said the statement of its Assistant Commandant Santosh Kumar Singh on "foul smell" had been "misinterpreted and he was misquoted as saying that foul odour could indicate that the miners were dead and the bodies are beginning to decompose."
Rebuffing the charge of inaction, Chief Minister Sangma told a television channel, "It's not the time to play politics. There is no question of calling off the operation. The operation is going to go to a different level now."
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content