Kedar Magar/RSS

KHOTANG: Three youths from a same village in Khotang district died and next one is still missing after an explosion at an illegally-run coal mine in Meghalaya, India. It is said that a Nepali from Khotang district is missing and two others were critically injured in the coal mine blast.

Purniram Khapangi Magar, 27, Surendra Khapangi Magar, 24, and Nar Bahadur Khapangi Magar, 35, of Bhanjyang village at Barapokhari Rural Municipality-1 in the district were killed in the explosion happened on February 5.

Ratna Rai, 50, of Jorkafal village from Halesi Tuwachung Municipality-5 was missing in the explosion, Nepali workers from Meghalaya have informed the local authorities and victims’ families in Khotang.

According to Indian media outlets, the incident occurred in the remote Mynsyngat village located in the Thangsko area, around 22 kilometres from Khliehriat, the district headquarters of East Jaintia Hills.

The burnt bodies of the Nepali workers are not recognizable, it is shared. Ranta, who is missing in the blast, had gone to India for a job some six months ago.

As per information shared by locals and victims’ families, Karna Bahadur Khapangi Magar, 46, and Bam Bahadur Khapangi Magar, 40, of Barapokhari Rural Municipality-1 in Khotang and Lalit Lungeli Magar of Saune village in Udayapur district are critically injured in the blast.
They are receiving treatment in a local health facility in Meghalaya, according to a Nepali fellow worker in Meghalaya from Barapokhari, Tara Bal Magar.

The victims’ families have faced difficulties to bring the dead bodies back home, it is stated.