Several workers feared trapped in flooded rat-hole mine in Assam
Several workers feared trapped in flooded rat-hole mine in Assam Several workers feared trapped in flooded rat-hole mine in Assam
In a grim development from Assam’s Dima Hasao district, several workers are feared trapped inside a ‘rat hole’ coal mine after water gushed into the 300-foot-deep quarry. The illegal mine is situated in Umrangso, a remote industrial town near the Meghalaya border, and the extent of the tragedy remains uncertain.
Water has filled approximately 100 feet of the mine, sources said, adding that it has severely hampered rescue efforts.
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Meanwhile, specialised teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are en route to assist in the rescue operation.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has stated that the state has sought assistance from the Army to bolster the ongoing rescue efforts.
“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.
In a similar incident in December 2018, 15 workers were trapped in an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills after water from a nearby river gushed into it.
The Indian Navy, Indian Army, the Air Force, and the NDRF were involved at the site until the rescue operation was called off. Five miners were trapped in an illegal coal mine that was flooded after a dynamite explosion in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills district in another incident in 2021.
Notably, the National Green Tribunal Friday imposed a fine of Rs 100 crore on the Meghalaya government for its failure to curb illegal coal mining in the state in 2019.