Rescue teams in Assam, India, are working tirelessly to save miners who have been trapped in a flooded coal mine located in the hilly Dima Hasao district. The situation grew critical after heavy rainfall inundated the mine, leaving three out of nine miners believed to be unresponsive, as reported by Reuters. Authorities disclosed that bodies have been spotted but remain inaccessible due to the flooding.
Rat-hole mining, an illegal method in India since 2014, continues to pose significant dangers, particularly in the northeastern regions such as Assam. Rescue operations include divers, helicopters, and engineers actively involved in reaching the trapped individuals, with both state and national disaster response forces participating.
On Monday evening, Assam's Director General of Police, GP Singh, stated that officials were verifying how many men were trapped. While some reports mentioned that more than a dozen miners successfully escaped, it appears that the final count of those still inside might be limited.
The remote location of the disaster site has complicated rescue efforts, as per district senior police official Mayank Kumar Jha, who highlighted the area’s difficult accessibility. Mining accidents are sadly not unusual in this part of India. In a similar incident in December 2018, at least 15 miners were trapped in a mine in Meghalaya, and extensive rescue efforts concluded with only two bodies recovered months later.
Additionally, a fire in a rat-hole coal mine in Nagaland earlier in January 2024 resulted in six fatalities, reminding authorities and the public of the persistent dangers associated with illegal mining operations.
