GUWAHATI — The bodies of three workers, who were trapped inside a coal mine in
Assam's Dima Hasao district, were recovered on Saturday from the quarry during
rescue operations, an official said.
Security and rescue personnel carry the body of one of the
workers trapped inside a coal mine at Umrangso area amid the ongoing rescue
operations, in Dima Hasao district, Assam, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (PTI Photo)
Four bodies have so far been recovered with the first one
taken out from the mine on Wednesday, he said.
The four deceased labourers were among the nine workers
trapped inside the mine in Umrangsu on Monday after a sudden gush of water
flooded the quarry.
"The rescue operations resumed this morning and three
bodies were recovered as the search for trapped miners entered its sixth day.
The body of one labourer, hailing from Nepal, was recovered on January 8,"
the official said.
One of the three labourers whose bodies were recovered from
the mine during the day was identified as 27-year-old Ligen Magar, a resident
of village number 1 of Kalamati in Dima Hasao, he said.
The identification of two other bodies is underway, the
district official said.
Magar's body was found floating on accumulated water in the
mine after the army and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) divers went to
bring out the worker, the official said.
"Another body was recovered from the Umrangsu mine a
short while ago, marking the third recovery so far. The identification process
is currently underway”, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma posted on X.
He said the rescue operations have been continuing with
"unwavering resolve".
"Rescue efforts in Umrangsu continue with unwavering
resolve. Tragically, another body was recovered this morning...," the
chief minister posted on the microblogging site earlier in the day.
''Our hearts go out to the grieving, as we hold on to hope
and strength in this difficult time," he added.
Dewatering of the quarry, which is 340 feet deep, was
continuing with specialised machines brought in by ONGC and Coal India, the
official said.
The chief minister had claimed that the mine was abandoned
12 years ago and was under the Assam Mineral Development Corporation till three
years ago.
''It was not an illegal mine but an abandoned one. The
workers had entered the mine that day for the first time to extract coal,"
Sarma said on Friday night.
He said that the leader of the workers has been arrested and
the police are conducting investigations into the case.
Speaking on the ongoing rescue operations, Sarma said that
dewatering has been continuing since Thursday and so far, 7 metres of water
have been pumped out.
''There was water up to 26 metres across four wells. If
water is cleared from the wells, we can expect some results'', he said.
Another machine has been brought in from Nagpur and would be
operated from Saturday morning, Sarma said, adding that if it functions
according to plans, it is expected that the water would be cleared by evening.
On the alleged involvement of a family member of Dima Hasao
Autonomous Council's Chief Executive Member Debolal Gorlosa in the incident,
the chief minister said, ''This is a human tragedy and we should not politicise
it".
