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Assam: CM says 9 workers trapped in inundated coal mine
The workers went down the mine at around 9am on Monday; and officials are yet to ascertain the cause of the flooding despite the absence of any rain in the region.
At least nine workers were trapped inside a coal mine in a remote area of Dima Hasao district of Assam after the mine was reportedly flooded with underground water, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday.
Teams from the state disaster response force and the national disaster response force have been dispatched to the mine located in Tin Kilo in Umrangshoo region of the hill district, however, any rescue work is only likely to start early on Tuesday morning, officials said.
“As per preliminary information, some workers are trapped inside the mine,” Dima Hasao deputy commissioner Simanta Kumar Das said.
According to initial reports, the workers went down the mine at around 9am on Monday; and officials are yet to ascertain the cause of the flooding despite the absence of any rain in the region.
“What we know is that a group of several workers had gone down to the mine around 9am. While there was no rainfall in the area at that time, it appears that underground water had seeped into the well, trapping the workers. We are not sure about the exact reason yet,” said district disaster management officer Rikki B Phukan.
The mine is operated by the state’s mines and minerals department which had engaged a private firm for mining, the DC said. No one from the private firm was present at the location at the time of the incident, he said citing officials from the nearest police station.
The remote location of the mine — it is about six hours away from the district headquarters in Halflong — is likely to make rescue work difficult.
“We got information about the incident around 1 pm. When a team from the nearest police station reached the place late in the afternoon, there was no one who could give information about what exactly happened,” Das said.
Since it’s already dark, rescue efforts will begin from 6am on Tuesday, he added.
The state government has requested the assistance of the Army to help in the rescue efforts, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
“Distressing news from Umrangshu, where labourers are trapped in a coal mine… Praying to God for everyone’s safety,” Sarma said in a series of posts on X.
“We have requested the Army’s assistance in the ongoing rescue operation. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are also on their way to the incident site to aid in the efforts,” he said.
