An unspecified number of workers are feared trapped inside a coal mine in Assam’s Dima Hasao district since Monday morning after underground water seeped into the mine, said officials.
According to officials, several workers went inside the coal mine operated by the mines and minerals department of the state government at a place called Tin Kilo in Umrangshoo region of the hill district.
“As per preliminary information, some workers are trapped inside the mine. But since the location of the mine is in a remote area and not easily accessible, it is still not clear how many people are inside and what’s their condition,” Simanta Kumar Das, deputy commissioner of Dima Hasao, said.
“Distressing news from Umrangshu, where laborers are trapped in a coal mine. The exact number and status are yet unknown. The DC, SP, and my colleague, Shri Kaushik Rai, are rushing to the site. Praying to God for everyone’s safety,” Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma states in a post 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 added in another post.
Officials said that the mine is located around 5-6 hours away from the district headquarters Halflong. While teams from the state and central disaster response forces (SDRF and NDRF) are on the way to the site, they haven’t reached the location till Monday evening.
{{/usCountry}}Officials said that the mine is located around 5-6 hours away from the district headquarters Halflong. While teams from the state and central disaster response forces (SDRF and NDRF) are on the way to the site, they haven’t reached the location till Monday evening.
{{/usCountry}}“We got information about the incident around 1pm. 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. I am on the way to the spot to verify,” Das told HT at 6.30pm.
He added that since it’s already dark, rescue efforts will begin from 6 am on Tuesday.
The DC informed that the mines and minerals department had given the mine on contract to a private firm for extraction of coal. But when the incident happened on Monday morning, people from the firm fled from the spot.
“We can’t comment on the exact number of persons trapped as different people are giving different versions. What we know is that a group of several workers had gone down to the mine around 9am,” said Rikki B. Phukan, district disaster management officer of Dima Hasao district.
“While there was no rainfall in the area at that time, it appears that underground water had seeped into the mine, trapping the workers. We are not sure about the exact reason yet,” he added.
In May last year, three workers were killed inside an illegal coal mine in at Margherita in Assam’s Tinsukia district after it caved in following a landslide.
“Distressing news from Umrangshu, where laborers are trapped in a coal mine. The exact number and status are yet unknown. The DC, SP, and my colleague, Shri Kaushik Rai, are rushing to the site. Praying to God for everyone’s safety,” Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a post 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 added in another post.