<p class="title">A team of the Odisha Fire Services on Friday left for Meghalaya to assist in the search and rescue of the 15 labourers trapped in a flooded rat-hole coal mine in the northeastern state, officials said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The miners are trapped in a 370-foot-deep illegal coal mine in the Ksan area of Lumthari village in Meghalaya since December 13.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Director General of Fire Services B K Sharma said a 20-member team led by chief fire officer Sukanta Sethi left for Shillong in a special Indian Air Force aircraft with equipment, including high-power pumps.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Get, set and go," Sharma tweeted as the selected members of the Odisha Fire Services team boarded the IAF plane.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"They will assist local authorities in the rescue of the trapped coal miners," he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Stating that the team was carrying at least 20 high-power pumps, an official said each pump is capable of flushing out 1,600-litre water per minute.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Odisha is among the few states endowed with the experience of handling such calamities," the official said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The fire services personnel are also armed with several other high-tech equipment and gadgets for use during the rescue mission.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The team will first study and analyse the situation at the site before working out plans for the search and rescue mission, the official said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Noting that carrying out a rescue operation in a coal mine will be a unique experience for Odisha Fire Services personnel, he said, "Our men are well-trained and capable of handling any situation."</p>.<p class="bodytext">They have successfully carried out difficult rescue operations within and outside the state, including Kerala in the past, with the help of well-trained and experienced personnel, said the official.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A team of 240 Odisha fire service personnel had assisted in rescue operations of flood-ravaged Kerala in August this year.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Earlier, in 2014, they had taken part in relief and rescue operations in Andhra Pradesh during cyclone Hudhud.</p>
<p class="title">A team of the Odisha Fire Services on Friday left for Meghalaya to assist in the search and rescue of the 15 labourers trapped in a flooded rat-hole coal mine in the northeastern state, officials said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The miners are trapped in a 370-foot-deep illegal coal mine in the Ksan area of Lumthari village in Meghalaya since December 13.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Director General of Fire Services B K Sharma said a 20-member team led by chief fire officer Sukanta Sethi left for Shillong in a special Indian Air Force aircraft with equipment, including high-power pumps.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Get, set and go," Sharma tweeted as the selected members of the Odisha Fire Services team boarded the IAF plane.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"They will assist local authorities in the rescue of the trapped coal miners," he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Stating that the team was carrying at least 20 high-power pumps, an official said each pump is capable of flushing out 1,600-litre water per minute.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Odisha is among the few states endowed with the experience of handling such calamities," the official said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The fire services personnel are also armed with several other high-tech equipment and gadgets for use during the rescue mission.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The team will first study and analyse the situation at the site before working out plans for the search and rescue mission, the official said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Noting that carrying out a rescue operation in a coal mine will be a unique experience for Odisha Fire Services personnel, he said, "Our men are well-trained and capable of handling any situation."</p>.<p class="bodytext">They have successfully carried out difficult rescue operations within and outside the state, including Kerala in the past, with the help of well-trained and experienced personnel, said the official.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A team of 240 Odisha fire service personnel had assisted in rescue operations of flood-ravaged Kerala in August this year.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Earlier, in 2014, they had taken part in relief and rescue operations in Andhra Pradesh during cyclone Hudhud.</p>