Guwahati, India (AP) — At least nine workers are trapped inside a flooded coal mine in India’s northeastern Assam state, officials said Tuesday, as authorities summoned the army to help in the rescue operation.
The miners became trapped on Monday morning in the Umrangso area in Dima Hasao district, about 125 miles (200 kilometers) south of the state capital, Guwahati.
RELATED NEWS : Tibet earthquake kills at least 126 people and leaves many trapped
The workers are “feared trapped 300 feet below the ground after water gushed in from a nearby unused mine. We are mobilizing resources to rescue them,” said Kaushik Rai, a local government minister who is monitoring the rescue efforts.
Army soldiers and a national disaster management team at the site used ropes and cranes to assist the ongoing operation.
Rescuers found three helmets, some slippers and a few other items, Rai said. “The divers have been able to dive into 35 or 40 feet of water inside the mine. The water level now is estimated at 100 feet,” he said.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on the social media platform X that the mine appeared to be illegal and that police had arrested one person as they investigate the case.
Workers at the site reported that more than a dozen miners were trapped inside the coal mine, which lacks proper safety measures. Some miners managed to escape as water from a nearby unused mine began flooding the area.
In the eastern and northeastern regions of India, workers extract coal under hazardous conditions in small “rat hole” mines. These narrow pits, typically designed for one person, are common in hilly areas. Coal is usually lifted to the surface in boxes using pulleys, and in some cases, miners carry the coal in baskets up wooden slats along the mine’s walls.
Accidents in illegal mines are frequent, as many workers depend on the illicit sale of coal for their livelihoods. In 2019, at least 15 miners lost their lives after becoming trapped in a similar mine in Meghalaya state.
Source : AGENCIES | Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube |