Meghalaya Orders Judicial Inquiry After Thangsku Illegal Coal Mine Blast Kills 27

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Monday announced a judicial inquiry into the deadly blast at an illegal coal mine in the Thangsku area of Mynsngat village, East Jaintia Hills district, which claimed 27 lives last week.

The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) , police, district administration, and local volunteers conducted a massive search-and-rescue operation that lasted several days, recovering all the bodies.

“The Government has decided to constitute a Judicial Inquiry Commission under the Commission of Inquiry Act to investigate the recent tragic mining incident in Mynsngat-Thangsku area,” Sangma said in a post on X. A senior Home Department official added that the inquiry will examine the circumstances leading to the blast, assign responsibility, and recommend measures to prevent future tragedies.

Background:

Rat-hole mining in Meghalaya, particularly in East Jaintia Hills, was prohibited by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2014 due to environmental degradation and safety risks. Despite the ban, illegal mining persists in remote villages, often resulting in accidents. Past incidents in Ksan, Saipung, and other parts of Jaintia Hills have killed dozens of miners over the last decade, mostly due to tunnel collapses, flooding, and methane explosions .

Authorities have previously registered FIRs and conducted district-level inquiries for such accidents, but few prosecutions have resulted in convictions due to informal ownership of mines and operational secrecy. The new judicial inquiry into the Thangsku blast is expected to provide a detailed investigation and recommendations to strengthen enforcement of mining bans and safety regulations.