At Least Three Dead, Six Trapped in Flooded Indian Coal Mine; Rescue Operations Underway
Rescue teams in India’s northeastern state of Assam are racing against time to save nine miners trapped in a flooded coal mine in the hilly Dima Hasao district.
At least three of the nine workers trapped in a flooded coal mine in Assam’s Dima Hasao district have died, though their bodies have yet to be recovered, more than 24 hours after the incident. Six others remain trapped.
According to a statement by local authorities on Tuesday, the mishap occurred on Monday morning when the workers, aged between 26 and 57, became trapped in the 3 Kilo coal mine in Umrangso, a remote hilly area of Dima Hasao.
Due to the location’s remoteness, full-scale rescue operations were delayed initially, with teams from the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF), and the Army still en route. By Tuesday morning, 30 NDRF personnel, 8 SDRF, army and navy officers members had reached the site.
“A helicopter carrying senior officials, including the Chief Engineer of Dimapur based Corps HQ, Inspector General Assam Rifles (East), and the CO PARA unit, is also underway for a reconnaissance and provide aerial assessment and guide further operations,” Army said in a statement.
Additionally, specialist divers, the Engineers Task Force with necessary equipment, and medical teams from the Army and Assam Rifles joined the rescue efforts. According to the latest update from the state government, the rescue operation has begun, with three bodies visible from the surface but not yet recovered as of 9:08 AM.
The site is located near Assam’s border with Meghalaya, where a similar mining disaster occurred in 2018, resulting in the deaths of 15 workers in a flooded rat-hole mine. Dima Hasao is known for extensive coal, limestone, and granite quarrying activities, and the coal reserves in Umrangso are a significant part of Assam’s mining sector.
