Indian Navy has been roped in to intensify rescue efforts to save nine people who are still trapped inside a coal mine at 3 Kilo, Umrangso area in Assam's Dima Hasao district since Monday. The Indian Army, Assam Rifles, NDRF, SDRF teams, and other agencies have also been involved in the rescue efforts.
The Navy was called as they have equipment worthy of deep diving. They also have ROV (Remove Operated Vehicle). Harmeet Singh, Assam Special DGP said, "Let us first focus on the rescue and the investigation of this particular case. The Navy team has just arrived. Indian Army, Special forces divers have done one reccy. SDRF and NDRF have one 1 reccy. The Navy has further deep-diving equipment. They also have an ROV (Remove Operated Vehicle)...We are concentrating here on the rescue and the case has been taken and an investigating officer is following up on the leads."
Meanwhile, Dima Hasao SP Mayank Kumar Jha refuted some media reports that claimed three of the trapped workers were “feared dead”. He said no bodies have yet been found and operations were underway to rescue the miners.
The miners, aged between 26 and 57, were working in the mine when water flooded the area, possibly due to damage caused to an underground water source during excavation. The bodies of the three deceased workers have been seen from the surface, but recovery efforts have been challenging due to the depth of the mine, which is 300 feet below ground. Initial reports suggest that helmets and slippers were floating on the water’s surface, raising fears for the safety of those still trapped.
The mine is located in the hilly, remote region of Umrangso, where rescue operations are complicated by difficult terrain and the hazardous nature of the flooded mine. Despite the challenging conditions, rescue teams, including NDRF and Army deep divers, have been working tirelessly to reach the trapped miners. Navy divers have also been put on standby to assist with the rescue efforts.
As of now, 17 miners have been rescued, but no communication has been possible with the remaining workers. The trapped miners include individuals from Assam, West Bengal, and Nepal, with names such as Ganga Bahadur Shreth from Nepal’s Udaypur district, Krishna Pada Sarkar from West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri, and several others from Assam, including Hussain Ali, Jakir Hussain, and Mustafa Sheikh.
