The situation in Assam is becoming increasingly dire as rescuers make frantic efforts to save men trapped in a flooded rat-hole coal mine in the northeastern region of India. Initial reports indicate that three out of the nine miners may have lost their lives, as rescue teams have allegedly detected bodies that remain unreachable due to flooding.
The trapped miners became stranded on Monday morning when heavy rainfall inundated the illegal coal extraction site. Although the government has prohibited rat-hole mining since 2014, these hazardous operations are still prevalent in Assam and other northeastern states, as reported by various local media outlets.
To manage the critical rescue operation, divers, helicopters, and engineers have been deployed to the remote and hilly Dima Hasao district, where the mine is situated. The Assam Director General of Police, GP Singh, disclosed that authorities are currently confirming the total number of people trapped in the mine. While several miners are said to have successfully escaped, it is believed that the trapped individuals may remain in single-digit numbers.
The region's hilly terrain makes rescue operations challenging. Senior police officer Mayank Kumar Jha emphasized the difficulties in accessing the remote disaster site. Unfortunately, incidents like this are all too common in India's northeastern region. In December 2018, a similar catastrophe occurred in Meghalaya, where 15 miners were trapped, with only a few managing to escape weeks after the disaster.
As rescue efforts continue in Assam, communities and the grieving relatives of the miners remain hopeful for their safe retrieval.
The trapped miners became stranded on Monday morning when heavy rainfall inundated the illegal coal extraction site. Although the government has prohibited rat-hole mining since 2014, these hazardous operations are still prevalent in Assam and other northeastern states, as reported by various local media outlets.
To manage the critical rescue operation, divers, helicopters, and engineers have been deployed to the remote and hilly Dima Hasao district, where the mine is situated. The Assam Director General of Police, GP Singh, disclosed that authorities are currently confirming the total number of people trapped in the mine. While several miners are said to have successfully escaped, it is believed that the trapped individuals may remain in single-digit numbers.
The region's hilly terrain makes rescue operations challenging. Senior police officer Mayank Kumar Jha emphasized the difficulties in accessing the remote disaster site. Unfortunately, incidents like this are all too common in India's northeastern region. In December 2018, a similar catastrophe occurred in Meghalaya, where 15 miners were trapped, with only a few managing to escape weeks after the disaster.
As rescue efforts continue in Assam, communities and the grieving relatives of the miners remain hopeful for their safe retrieval.
