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An unidentified body was recovered from a water-filled abandoned coal mine in East Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya on Sunday, May 10, officials said.
According to the police, information about the body was received on Friday from the headman of Moolait Bri Sumer village after the corpse was spotted inside the abandoned mine. Following the information, police reached the spot and conducted a preliminary inquiry, confirming that the body was found submerged in the mine.
Officials said attempts to retrieve the body on Saturday were unsuccessful due to the depth and difficult conditions inside the abandoned pit.
On Sunday, a joint team of Meghalaya Police and the State Disaster Response Force carried out a rescue operation and successfully recovered the body at around 11 a.m.
East Jaintia Hills Superintendent of Police Pankaj Rasgania said the identity of the deceased has not yet been established, and an investigation is underway.
Officials said East Jaintia Hills alone has over 22,000 abandoned coal pits, many of them deep and unfenced, posing serious safety risks to local residents and workers.