An explosion occurred in an uncontrolled mine in the Jainta Hills area of North East.
Published on February 5, 2026
An explosion at an illegal coal mine in northeastern India has killed at least 18 people, local officials said.
Police on Thursday said they have recovered 18 bodies from the blast site in a remote area of East Jainta Hills district.
Local officer Manish Kumar informed that eight others were injured in the incident. It is unclear how many workers were on site at the time of the explosion; Others may still be trapped, police said.
Kumar said rescuers halted operations at sunset Thursday and planned to resume Friday with support from state and federal crews. He described the site as an “illegal rat-hole mine,” referring to a deep, narrow shaft where workers risk dangerous conditions to extract coal and other minerals.
District Police Superintendent Vikas Kumar said that it is possible that the explosion was caused by dynamite, but the investigation is on.
“The workers may have died either from burns or breathing problems,” Kumar said in a statement to The Indian Express. “But as no one has come out in a position to say exactly what happened and how many workers there were in total, we have no estimate of how many more may have been trapped.”
Prime Minister Modi announced compensation
Conrad Sangma, the chief minister of the Indian state of Meghalaya, where the incident took place, promised that authorities would hold those responsible accountable and crack down on illegal mining.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his “condolences” to the families of the dead workers and announced a compensation package of 200,000 rupees ($2,216) for each family. “Distressed by the tragedy in East Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya,” his office wrote in a post on X.
Unregulated coal pits are common in India’s eastern and northeastern regions, with workers earning between $18 and $24 for a day’s shift.
In 2018, there were at least 15 miners Trapped in one such mine and killed In the state of Meghalaya.
Rat-hole mining has been banned in Meghalaya since 2014 due to water pollution concerns.