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. Three of the miners are feared dead, with their bodies spotted but not yet recovered, according to a statement by local authorities on Tuesday.
The flooding occurred on Monday when the miners accidentally struck an internal water channel, which caused water to surge into the mine. “The mine got flooded yesterday — the source was internal. They (the miners) probably hit some water channel and water came out and flooded it,” said Mayank Kumar, the district police chief of Dima Hasao.
The Indian Army has deployed divers, helicopters, and engineers to assist in the complex rescue operation. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are also working alongside the army.
Photographs shared by the army on social media depict rescue workers equipped with ropes, cranes, and other tools standing at the edge of a large vertical mine as they attempt to reach the miners.
Coal mine-related disasters are a recurring issue in northeastern India, where illegal and poorly regulated mining is common. In a major incident in 2019, 15 miners were killed in an illegal coal mine in neighbouring Meghalaya when it was flooded by water from a nearby river.
As the rescue mission continues, authorities are working tirelessly to retrieve the trapped miners and provide clarity on the situation. The tragedy highlights ongoing safety concerns in the region’s mining operations.
Melissa Enoch
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