Grief enveloped the remote Thangsku area in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district on Thursday as women wailed and villagers gathered near the illegal coal mine where at least 18 labourers died in an explosion.
The blast occurred at Thangsko area of Mynsngat village, around 30 km from the district headquarters at Khliehriat, officials said.
Villagers said scenes of chaos unfolded soon after the explosion, with women and children from nearby makeshift workers sheds crying inconsolably as rescue teams rushed to the site.
Videos that surfaced on social media showed thick smoke billowing out from what locals claimed were three mine shafts shortly after the explosion.
Local elders at Mynsyngat told PTI that they fear that more than 30-40 people were trapped inside when the blast occurred.
"So far, 18 bodies have been retrieved from the site," district Superintendent of Police Vikash Kumar said.
Thangsku is a remote and forested area where hundreds of illegal coal mine shafts are present. Locals said rescue efforts were slowed by the difficult terrain and safety concerns after sunset.
Officials said teams from the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and Special Rescue Team are engaged in search and recovery operations.
Residents said many of those working inside the mines were daily wage labourers who had travelled from different parts of the state, besides Assam and Nepal.
Relatives and villagers gathered near the site, anxiously waiting for updates as rescue and recovery operations progressed.
Anti-mining activist Agnes Kharshiing blamed the government and district authorities for the tragedy, alleging that illegal coal mining had continued despite repeated warnings and previous accidents.
"This is a homicide," she told PTI, adding that the accident was proof of what she described as attempts by the state government to hide the reality of continuing illegal mining.
Kharshiing was once attacked by the coal mafias that left her injured and under treatment for a long time.
Police have registered a case in connection with the incident and an investigation is underway to identify those responsible for the alleged illegal mining activities.