Rescue teams in Assam are mobilizing divers and engineers in a race against time to save nine miners trapped in a flooded rat-hole coal mine, with fears that three may already be dead amidst ongoing illegal mining operations.
Urgent Rescue Operations Launched for Trapped Miners in Assam's Illegal Coal Mine
Urgent Rescue Operations Launched for Trapped Miners in Assam's Illegal Coal Mine
Time is of the essence as rescuers strive to save miners caught in a flooded rat-hole coal mine in Assam, where illegal mining persists despite bans.
Rescuers in India are working tirelessly to save nine miners trapped within a flooded coal mine located in Assam, a state in the northeast region of the country. Reports indicate that three of the miners are presumed dead, as rescue teams have spotted bodies that remain unreachable due to the flooded conditions. The miners became trapped on Monday morning when water inundated the rat-hole mine, a narrow excavation created manually for coal extraction.
Despite a nationwide prohibition on such mining activities established in 2014, illegal practices persist unimpeded in Assam and other northeastern states. Authorities have dispatched divers, helicopters, and specialized engineers to facilitate the rescue efforts, alongside the support of state and national disaster response forces.
As of Monday evening, Assam's Director General of Police, GP Singh, reported that efforts were ongoing to confirm the total number of individuals trapped. Initial accounts suggest that more than a dozen miners managed to escape the flooding, with current reports indicating that fewer than ten may still be inside.
The disaster site is situated in a remote, hilly terrain of the Dima Hasao district. Senior district police official Mayank Kumar Jha informed Reuters that accessibility is challenging due to the area's remoteness. Unfortunately, mining incidents such as this are relatively frequent in India's northeastern region. Previous notable incidents include a 2018 disaster in Meghalaya, where at least 15 miners faced entrapment after being flooded by a nearby river, leading to prolonged rescue efforts.
Additionally, in January 2024, a separate incident involving a fire in a rat-hole coal mine in Nagaland claimed the lives of six workers. As this latest rescue operation unfolds, the situation remains critical, capturing national attention and raising concerns regarding the continued threat posed by illegal mining practices.
