Several Workers Feared Trapped In Assam's Dima Hasao Coal Mine, Rescue Ops Underway

Several workers have been trapped for over 12 hours in a coal mine in Assam's Dima Hasao district, reportedly after the mine was flooded with water on Monday morning.

Dima Hasao Superintendent of Police Mayank Kumar stated that an "unspecified" number of workers are trapped, although local reports suggest the figure may be more than 10, reported The Indian Express.

Photo Credit: PTI

The incident occurred in the Kalamati area in Umrangso, a remote part of Dima Hasao, approximately 150 kilometres from the district headquarters, Haflong. As of 8:30 pm, the SP, District Collector, and other senior government officials had not yet reached the site.

"The incident took place in the morning, and rescue teams were deployed immediately upon receiving the information. The rescue operations have been ongoing for about seven hours now," the SP told The Indian Express.

The rescue efforts have been progressing slowly, with two motor pumps working to remove the water that has flooded the pit of the mine, which is reported to be several hundred feet deep.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that both the National Disaster Relief Force and the State Disaster Relief Force are en route to assist in the rescue operation. He also mentioned that the Army's help has been requested.

The location of the incident is near Assam's border with Meghalaya, which in 2018 witnessed one of the region's most tragic mining accidents when 15 workers died after being trapped in a flooded rat-hole mine in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills.

Eyewitness accounts and initial assessments suggest that the flooding occurred unexpectedly, leaving the workers unable to escape from the mine.

Rescue operations were launched immediately with teams consisting of local authorities, emergency responders and mining experts working to locate and free the trapped workers, the officials said.

(With PTI inputs)