A truck believed to be illegally transporting coal plunged off the road and into a deep ravine near Umling, Ri-Bhoi, today morning.
The driver was injured but villagers rushed to extricate him and take him to hospital for medical care.
The locally registered truck (ML 07B 9154) was apparently using a circuitous route from West Khasi Hills to bypass police checkpoints on the Umrit-Umling road. It was speeding at the time the driver lost control and subsequently fell into the gorge.
Ri-Bhoi Superintendent of Police, Giri Prasad, said that the truck will be retrieved from the site of the accident and appropriate legal action will be taken over the illegal transport of coal.
This occurrence has brought attention back to the issue of unauthorised coal mining and transportation in Meghalaya and raises questions about the effectiveness of measures put in place by the government to combat this illegal activity.
