18 dead, 8 injured in explosion at illegal India coal mine, police say

South China Morning PostEN 1 min read 100% complete by Agence France-PresseFebruary 5, 2026 at 06:20 PM

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An explosion at an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya, a northeastern state in India, killed at least 18 people on Thursday. Eight others were injured in the incident, which occurred in the East Jaintia Hills district. The mine was identified as an illegal "rathole mine," a type of deep, narrow shaft banned in Meghalaya since 2014 due to safety and environmental concerns. Rescue operations were underway to determine if more miners were trapped, but were halted at sundown. Authorities are awaiting disaster management personnel to resume the search on Friday morning.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

federal disaster management agencies 40% state disaster management agencies 40% federal environment court 50% East Jaintia Hills district 60% Manish Kumar ×270% India 80% Meghalaya ×390% explosion ×295%

Keywords

coal mine explosion 100% illegal mining 90% meghalaya 80% rathole mine 70% mining accident 60% rescue operation 50% environmental impact 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.80

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Source

South China Morning Post

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90%

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coal mine explosion illegal mining meghalaya rathole mine mining accident rescue operation environmental impact

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