Rescuers recovered two bodies from a coal mine, which covered with water, on August 27, said Police Captain Aung Myint Oo from Minhla Township police force.

A watercourse is located at the left side of the coal mine and heavy rain caused to make a hole in the embankment which blocked the water. Water rushed into the coal mine causing landslide inside it.

“We recovered two bodies and we found one more body but we still cannot recover it,” said the police captain.

“We cannot prevent it as it happened in a short time. Water rushed into the pit and they tried to climb up to the mine trolley. However the water forced them down,” said Sai Aung Lin aka Ko Shan, who is a Chinese interpreter.

The coal mine is about over 500 feet in depth and the rescuers found three bodies at a place over 100 feet in depth. Mangrove stems supported inside the coal mine are collapsed and the rescuers faced difficult to carry the third body.

It is a natural disaster. The regional government will make sure safety rules and regulations to apply on next coal mines. The regional government has allowed 20 small scale coal mines and one medium sized coal mine in the township, said Myint Zaw, regional minister for natural resources.