One person was injured, and several labourers were feared trapped after an explosion occurred in a suspected illegal coal mine in Thangsku village, East Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya on Thursday, police said.

The incident occurred in the Thangsku area, Superintendent of Police Vikash Kumar said. "Our team has confirmed that the incident took place this morning, but the number of people inside was not confirmed," Kumar told PTI.

Kumar added that one person sustained injuries and was initially taken to a primary health centre before being referred to the state capital Shillong for better treatment.

The police have sought assistance from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to carry out rescue operations at the site. "The SDRF team are yet to come," Kumar said.

The explosion is suspected to have occurred during coal mining activities at the site, which is believed to be an illegal operation. When asked whether the mine was operating illegally, the police officer said, "Yes, it seems like that."

He added that the cause of the explosion is yet to be ascertained, and an inquiry will be conducted.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had imposed a ban on rat-hole coal mining and other unscientific mining practices in Meghalaya in 2014, citing environmental damage and safety risks, while also restricting illegal transportation of coal extracted through such methods.

Rat-hole mining involves digging narrow tunnels, usually 3-4 feet high, for workers to enter and extract coal. The horizontal tunnels are often termed “rat-holes”, as each just about fits one person.

The Supreme Court later upheld the ban and allowed mining only under scientific and regulated procedures with environmental safeguards.