Five labourers, transporting coal from a coal mine in East Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya, were crushed to death when the cables of a crane snapped midway, police said today.
The five Assam-based labourers were transporting coal using a makeshift crane from a rat-hole coal mine, about 200 m deep, yesterday when one of the cables snapped mid-way hurtling the crane and the debris over them, superintendent of police M K Dkhar told PTI.
The mishap took place at Briwar Rasong, a remote mining village adjacent to Cachar Hills district of Assam.
The victims were identified as Bahu Boro, Kanta Boro, Pakem Dwar, Balen Barali and Harneshwar Boro, hailing from Assam's Chirang and Baksa districts.
With this, the toll in coal mine mishap in the state rose to 15 this year alone.
The latest incident is the fourth in a series of mishaps in unscientific rat-hole coal pits in the state which claimed 10 lives in three other incidents in the past eight months.
The Geological Survey of India has estimated that coal reserves in the state is around 460 metric tonnes and of a high-grade sub-bituminous type with less ash content, compared to the coal variety found in any other parts of the country.
