GUWAHATI, India — Officials announced on Wednesday that Indian army divers successfully retrieved the body of one of the nine miners trapped in a submerged coal mine in Assam’s northeastern region. The incident occurred on Monday when a significant influx of water from an adjacent abandoned mine flooded the facility located in the Umrangso area of Dima Hasao district, situated approximately 125 miles (200 kilometers) south of the state capital, Guwahati.
Kaushik Rai, a local government minister overseeing the rescue operations, stated, “Army deep divers have found and retrieved one body from the flooded mine. The divers will go into the mine again to continue their search operations.” Nearly 100 rescue personnel, including members from the police, navy, army, and the National Disaster Response Force, are facing challenging conditions while searching within the mine, which has a depth of around 300 feet (90 meters).
Despite the frigid temperatures of the Barail mountain range, divers are being lowered into the constricted mine using cranes to navigate its dark, inundated spaces. The navy has also deployed remotely operated vehicles to assist in the investigation of the flooded mine’s interior.
Rai added that the Indian Air Force is transporting high-powered pumps to the location via helicopters to facilitate the removal of the accumulated water. On the previous day, rescuers discovered three helmets and several slippers, along with a few other articles. The water level within the mine is believed to reach depths of approximately 100 feet (30 meters).
Assam’s Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, indicated through a post on the social media platform X that the mine appears to have been operating illegally. As part of the investigation, law enforcement has already detained one individual. Workers on site reported that more than a dozen miners were trapped due to minimal safety conditions of the mine, although some were able to escape when the water surged in from the neighboring abandoned site.
In the eastern and northeastern regions of India, miners often extract coal under perilous circumstances from small “rat hole” mines. These narrow pits, designed for single-person access, are prevalent in hilly areas. Coal is typically hoisted to the surface in boxes or carried in baskets along wooden planks that line the mine walls.
Accidents in illegal mining operations are common, and many laborers depend on the unlawful sale of coal for their livelihood. In a tragic incident in 2019, at least 15 miners lost their lives after becoming trapped in a similar illegal mine in Meghalaya state.
