Shillong Dec 14: An owner of a coal mine in East Jaiñtia Hills district has absconded, even as rescue operation will resume on Saturday morning to retrieve the bodies of 13 labourers who were trapped inside the coal pit.

On the first day of the operation on Friday, 72 members of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) along with 23 members of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were involved to retrieve the 13 miners who trapped inside a coal mine at Lumthari in East Jaiñtia Hills district.

The operation was called off due to darkness on Friday evening. The coal mine is about 370 feet deep, and the coal pit was filled with water that gushed inside from a river near the mine.

Police said that a case against the mine owner, James Sukhlaiñ was registered for violating an order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) which banned coal mining in the state. The ban was imposed since April 17, 2014.

However the mine owner has absconded.

Police are not sure if the miners are still alive or not.

The residents of Lumthari came to know about the incident after five miners managed to escape when water gushed inside the coal mine.

Police said that at present they came to know that 13 labourers were trapped inside the coal pit from the people of Lumthari village.

Six miners hailed from the plain belt of West Garo Hills district, four from Assam, and three from Lumthari village in East Jaiñtia Hills distriuct.

Deputy Inspector General of Police in-charge Western Range, A.R. Mawthoh monitored the rescue operation, and said that the actual number of miners who were trapped inside the cal mine could be more or less than 13.

“All efforts are being made to retrieve the trapped miners and the water was being pumped out of the coal pit with the help of generators,” Mawthoh said.