Bodies of 3 trapped miners recovered in Assam, toll rises to 4

Guwahati, January 11

Divers on Saturday recovered the bodies of three workers from a flooded coal mine in Assam’s Dima Hasao district where they had been trapped since January 6, an official said.

With the recovery, the bodies of four of the total nine workers stuck in the flooded quarry have been found. The first body was recovered from the mine in Umrangshu, around 250 km from Guwahati, on Wednesday. “The rescue operations resumed this morning and three bodies were recovered six days after the incident,” the official said. The three were identified as Ligen Magar (27) of Dima Hasao district, Khushi Mohan Rai (57) of Kokrajhar district and Sarat Goyary (37) of Sonitpur district. The body of one labourer hailing from Nepal was found on January 8.

The bodies were found floating on accumulated water in the mine after two days of dewatering. Divers of the Army, Navy and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) brought them out, the official said.

In a post on X, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “Rescue efforts in Umrangshu continue with unwavering resolve… Our hearts go out to the grieving, as we hold on to hope and strength in this difficult time.”

Dewatering of the quarry was continuing with the help of five pumps throughout the day, the official said. The water level of the mine has gone down to 12 metres from 26 metres on Friday, he said.

Currently, a search operation was being conducted with the help of an underwater Remote Operating Vehicle (ROV), the official added.

The Chief Minister said the leader of the workers had been arrested and the police were conducting investigations in the case. — PTI