Body recovered from ‘flooded’ coal mine in Assam's Dima Hasao, 8 others still trapped

The body of one of the nine workers trapped inside a coal mine in the Dima Hasao district of Assam was recovered by army divers on Wednesday. It was the third day of the rescue operations, officials said.

“The chances of the survival of the eight others appear grim, though a team of navy, army, NDRF [National Disaster Response Force] and SDRF [State Disaster Response Force] personnel intensified their efforts to rescue the trapped miners," the official was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.

The labourers were trapped inside the coal mine situated in the 3 Kilo area of Umrangso on Monday after a sudden gush of water flooded the site.

Divers entered the flooded pit in a coal mine using a pulley to rescue trapped miners in Umrangso, in the Dima Hasao district of Assam. The divers flew in from Visakhapatnam and conducted a recce before entering the quarry, NDTV reported.

“Search teams, including military divers, worked to reach several coal miners trapped underground after water flooded the shaft a day earlier,” rescue officials said.

The divers located the body inside the mine early in the morning, and its identity is yet to be ascertained, the officials said.

“21 Para divers have just recovered a lifeless body from the bottom of the well. Our thoughts and prayers are with the grieving family,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma posted on X.

Sarma said the rescue operations were continuing in full swing, with army divers and NDRF having already entered the well.

The navy personnel are at the site, making final preparations to dive in after them, he said.

Sarma said on Tuesday that the mine “appears to be illegal” and that the police have arrested one person in connection with the incident.

The SDRF's de-watering pumps departed from Umrangshu for the location, NDTV reported. Additionally, the ONGC de-watering pump has been loaded onto an MI-17 helicopter at Kumbhigram, awaiting weather clearance for deployment, the report added.

(With inputs from agencies)