The death toll in the mining disaster at a rat-hole coal mine in Assam’s Dima Hasao district rose to four on Saturday, as rescue teams recovered two more bodies from the flooded quarry. The incident has left eight workers still unaccounted for, trapped underground since January 6 after a sudden surge of water inundated the abandoned mine in the Umrangso area near the Assam-Meghalaya border.
#WATCH | Assam | The third body has been recovered by the joint rescue team of the Indian army and NDRF from the inundated rat-hole coal mine at 3 Kilo Umrangso area in Dima Hasao district today. The second body was recovered this morning. pic.twitter.com/hDF9LiW5xF
— ANI (@ANI) January 11, 2025
A joint rescue team comprising the Indian Navy and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been working around the clock to drain the 340-foot-deep quarry. Despite deploying advanced machinery from ONGC and Coal India, the mission faces significant challenges due to the flooded interior of the mine, which remains difficult to navigate and map.
The first victim of the tragedy, identified as Ganga Bahadur Shreth, was pulled from the site on January 8. Since then, efforts have intensified to locate the remaining workers, with a specialised 12-member rescue team from Coal India arriving on Friday to bolster the operation.
The mine, abandoned more than a decade ago, had been under the jurisdiction of the Assam Mineral Development Corporation until three years ago. Questions have been raised about the resumption of illegal mining activities at the site. Authorities have already detained two individuals in connection with the incident.
Click here for Latest Fact Checked News On NewsMobile WhatsApp Channel
For viral videos and Latest trends subscribe to NewsMobile YouTube Channel and Follow us on Instagram
