Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 2 lakh per family to the families of the 16 victims who lost their lives in the Meghalaya coal mine accident. An ex-gratia amount of Rs 50,000 per person will be given to those injured in the incident that took place in the Thangsky area of East Jaintia Hills district. This ex-gratia amount will be provided from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF).
“Distressed by the accident in East Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya. Our deepest condolences to all those who lost their loved ones. Wishing speedy recovery to the injured. An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh will be given to the kin of each deceased from PMNRF. Rs 50,000 will be given to the injured,” the Prime Minister’s Office posted on Χ.
Earlier, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma had said that the state government has ordered an inquiry into the coal mine accident in which 16 people lost their lives. He said accountability would be fixed for the incident at the suspected illegal coal mine and strict legal action would be taken against the culprits.
Sangma posted on Is.”
At least 16 people were killed and several workers are feared trapped in an explosion in a suspected illegal coal mine in a village on Thursday, officials said, following which three teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been sent to conduct rescue operations. Superintendent of Police (SP) Vikas Kumar said that 16 bodies have been recovered so far.
SP Kumar said, “The incident took place in Thangsku (Thangsky) area on Thursday. Many workers were trapped in the coal mine after the explosion. SDRF, police and local administration conducted a search and rescue operation. So far, 16 bodies have been recovered. One person has sustained burn injuries.”