Rescue and recovery operations are underway after an explosion at an illegal rat-hole coal mine in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills claimed 18 lives. An NDRF team reached the Thangskai area to assist local authorities. Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma assured strict action against those responsible and announced Rs 3 lakh ex-gratia for the victims

Located across the southern slopes of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills of the northeastern state, the nominated property represents a living cultural landscape shaped over centuries by indigenous Khasi and Jaintia communities