Rescue teams are working tirelessly to reach nine miners trapped inside a flooded coal mine in Assam’s remote Dima Hasao district, authorities said on Tuesday. Three miners are feared dead as efforts continue through the night.
The local government reported that three bodies have been spotted by rescue teams but have yet to be recovered. The mine became flooded on Monday after the miners possibly struck an internal water channel, causing water to inundate the shafts.
“The mine got flooded yesterday—the source was internal. They probably hit some water channel, and water came out and flooded it,” said Mayank Kumar, district police chief in Dima Hasao, speaking to Reuters.
Teams from the army, along with national and state disaster relief forces, have been deployed to assist in the rescue operation. Divers, helicopters, and engineers are all part of the intensive efforts to reach the miners trapped underground.
Photographs shared by the army on social media depict rescue workers equipped with ropes, cranes, and other equipment at the edge of the vertical mine shaft, highlighting the challenging conditions faced by the rescuers.
Coal mine accidents are not uncommon in India’s northeastern region. In 2019, at least 15 miners were buried while working in an illegal mine in the neighboring state of Meghalaya after it was flooded by water from a nearby river.
The ongoing rescue operation in Dima Hasao has brought attention to the safety conditions of mining operations in the region. As rescue teams continue their efforts, families of the trapped miners await news of their loved ones.
Reference(s):
Three feared dead as India deploys divers to rescue trapped miners
cgtn.com
