SHILLONG: The highly decomposed body of a miner, which was retrieved from the flooded ‘rat-hole’ coal pit at Khloo Ryngksan in East Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya by Indian Navy divers on Saturday, was identified on Friday as that of one Amir Hussain from Chirang district of neighbouring Assam.In his twenties, Hussain was one of the 15 ill-fated miners who had descended into the mine to dig for coal on December 13 last year. Of the 15, three were from Meghalaya while the rest had been from Assam. Hussain’s body was the first to be spotted by the rescue team on January 16.Confirming this development, East Jaintia Hills district deputy commissioner FM Dopth informed that the body has been identified by the labourer’s wife and mother. “Efforts are being made to transport the body to their residence,” the DC told media persons on Friday. The body was taken to the Khliehriat community health centre where it was identified by the family members.Official spokesperson for the rescue operation, R Susngi, informed that the multi-agency operation, involving the Indian Navy, NDRF, Coal India Limited, Kirloskar Brothers Engineering, Odisha Fire Services, continued on Friday to try and locate the 14 other labourers, who remain untraced.Gallons of water are being pumped out of the coal pit every day in an effort to trace the miners, but water has been continuously seeping into it from adjoining abandoned mines and a river nearby, rescue team officials said. Meanwhile, police have been taking action against illegal transportation of coal and several arrests and seizures have been made in this connection over the last couple of days, a police official said.

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