Assam mining tragedy: Bodies of 3 more labourers trapped in coal quarry recovered

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.

Four bodies had 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 1 of Kalamati in Dima Hasao, he said.

The identification of two other bodies was 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 had been continuing with “unwavering resolve”.  “Tragically, another body was recovered this morning...," the CM posted on the social media 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-ft deep, was continuing with specialised machines brought in by ONGC and Coal India, the official said.

The CM 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 the leader of the workers had been arrested and the police were conducting investigations into the case.

Speaking on the ongoing rescue operations, Sarma said dewatering has been continuing since Thursday and so far, 7 m of water had been pumped out.

“There was water up to 26 m across four wells. If water is cleared from the wells, we can expect some results,” he said.

Another machine had been brought in from Nagpur and would be operated from Saturday morning, Sarma said, adding that if it functioned according to plans, it was 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 CM said, “This is a human tragedy and we should not politicise it.”