A team of divers from the Indian Navy left the operation site in Krem Ule, Umpleng after over a month of searching the miners trapped in the 500 feet-deep illegal coal mine under East Jaiñtia Hills district.
Officials of the district administration said the Navy had requested to de-induct the team from the rescue operations and left the district yesterday.
Deputy Commissioner, Ethelbert Kharmalki said that the water level inside the mine shaft continues to rise and this has hampered the diving operations to retrieve the other bodies. Besides, he added, the service of the team is also required elsewhere in the country.
The DC further informed that since the services of the NDRF and SDRF have been de-requisitioned last evening the rescue operations has been suspended till further notice.
The Navy divers along with the rescuers of the national and state disaster force, Fire and Emergency Service and the police had so far retrieved three bodies out of five trapped since May 30.
The Krem Ule tragedy had brought back memories of a similar tragedy at Ksan area of Lumthari village on December 31, 2018 where 13 miners got trapped in a flooded illegal coal mine, which garnered national media spotlight then.
